Rakashi Preview
by CullenWatcher
Summary: This story takes place in the Mass Effect Universe, however the story itself has absolutely no dealing with the Universe at all making it more of a stand alone title.


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**Story of the Raven**

Chronicles of Rakashi_  
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I

_*Yes this story will differ from the original Bio Sheet... some parts will be different._

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---ANALYSIS INITALIZED--- SCANNING FOR CORRUPT DATA... 5...34....68...99...100%--- NO CORRUPT DATA DETECTED--- ISOLATING DATA STREAM...

WARNING! DATA DELETION DETECTED---RESTRICTED FILES--- PASSWORD...**************.... ACCESS APPROVED DR. SHIN YAMOKI--- PLAYING MEMORY CORE FROM UNIT 2116-75-4122 CODENAMED RAKASHI YAMOKI---

ESTIMATED AGE--- 8

9341 (REVOLUTIONS)-3 (CURRENT QUADRANT)-05 (CURRENT DEGREE) -89 (PLANETARY TURN % FROM FULL ROTATION)

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The sound of birdish creatures sung loudly and dashed across the sky, threw the air and were gone in a matter a moments. They were a beautiful sight, I personally liked it. Flying with little care, little need to say why they were flying, just doing what was natrual to them. It was a nice sight to see after having spent the entire night half drugged up on things I wasn't even able to prenouce. Everything was a cool metal color, the walls polished and tented to a near smooth looking gray while the floor was polished so well that I could look down and see my face on it. That was if I choose to look. I didn't. I didn't want to see what the operation had done.

With a blowing loud sound, the door opened with hydrolic energy revealing a few men who walked inside. They were giants compared to me, towering over most of my people by at least a foot. I was only 8 years old, so they appeared quiet big to me. Quietly, I remained sitting in the cot that was there, not really paying attention to their faces but their boots. Two were armored boots, soldiers probably, by the golden lining that pumped an enhancement drug to make them faster and stronger. Another was a black thick color, some higher up, probably. The last was white with a labcoat that reached to his boots. They weren't loud as they approached, and seemed quiet curious as they moved about, glancing at my face.

"Rakashi?" The man in white had inquired, still staring at me. I didn't say anything. I tried but no words would leave my mouth as I stared at his boots. "Rakashi, are you alright?"

"Professor... You have seen what happens during the_ Delta-Heta _Project... She might not say anything... Do not worry though, I am sure she is alright and will recover." Said the man with black boots. Slowly, I looked up at their faces which looked at mine. I instantly recognized the white coat man. He was my dad. Instantly I grabbed his hand, and held tightly to it as he smiled after a moment.

"You see Professor Yamoki; your daughter is completely alright. The Project has a virtual 100% success rate. She has the same gene that allows her to adapt well, the same reaction to the process as you or your wife do. Completely safe... Does your head hurt, Rakashi?"

Now that he mentioned it, I was a little dizzy, and I had a pounding headache. Perhaps that was the reason that I wasn't talking to them, but I really didn't think about it. After a moment, I nodded slightly as the man who asked stared at me with his strange looking green eyes. He wasn't an Asylan, but a Turatian. He merely smiled at me and I couldn't help but feel slightly nervous by the stare. After a moment, he turned, looking at my father.

"Do you think that your wife would want to come up here and visit her?"

"Perhaps... How well did she react to the process?"

The man glanced at the note board that he was holding, reading the information from it. It took him moment before replying. "Extremely well sure... Brain activity is up, growth, hand-eye coordination, reaction time... all higher then normal... Very special case... Most likely do to being born of two Asylans her body is able to adapt quicker and in a more efficient manner."

"Good to know... Guards... I believe it is safe, you can stand outside." The armored clanking began as they walked threw the door and into the hallway.

Just then the pain in my head was a really pounding. So, I laid back down still holding my father's hand. It wasn't a real tight grip but a light hold that just said 'don't leave me.' I just lay still as the room seemed to spin around. It made me dizzier, so I closed my eyes.

"Is she alright?"

"Of course, Shin. Probably disorientation right now... she's probably sleeping. Rakashi just had her entire mind altered along with other traits... Of course she might need time to adapt, but she is moving about quiet earlier then most. It has only been 5 days since the week long operation... Most Asylans take at least two weeks."

"Which reminds me... Saa'kav, any news on what the rebellion is about?"

"Yes, I do have news...It is a religious uprising, claiming that you Asylans are hellish being, created in hellish ways... They are mainly Turatian, sadly... They want to turn away from the path that you Asylans are leading."

"Why? The way we have made is better for everyone... We aren't abusing our abilities... In fact, we have taken the brunt of building the great cities. Architecture and construction, we aren't forcing anything on the Turantian and are working with them... we are the same as them."

"Really? Except you have undergone a process that has everyone thinking that you are thinking you are gods... Dr. Yamoki, I'm not against you... It is just the way that they think... You invented this completely artificial process that alters beings and now there are people against it... What do you expect?"

"True... Any contact from the extraterrestrial beings?"

"None... They refused to speak to us."

"Has the language been translated yet?"

"For the most part, yes. The top Asylans have managed to make extreme amount of headway on that. Within five years, we will have the ability to translate over 40 extraterrestrial languages. We then will have the ability to speak to them and see what we have to trade to achieve advancement into the heavens."

"This is a rather trying age isn't it... ten years ago, we find the specialized blood type that reacts best to the process of genetic engineering and then five years later we find there is life in the heavens above..."

_I wasn't really sure what they were talking about. I was only eight at the time. All I knew was this: My father created the Asylans, my kind. They were the genetically enhanced 10% of the population that had taken the task to advance our people so that were no longer a warring civilization after the Yavan Wars. My family was Asylan, while a lot of others were known as Turatian. They did not process the rare -AB blood type and were less adaptable to the treatment. A few were able to survive and even fewer were able to function well. And there was only one thing I knew at the time. The Turantian Saa'kav... I didn't like him. He seemed like a bad man._

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--- DATA DELETED... FINDING CLOSEST RELATED DATA FILE--- ANALYSIS OF DATA DELETION- TRUAMA TO THE IMPLANT WITHIN TEMPEL LOBE--- CLOSE RELATED DATA FOUND----- REINITALIZING...2....5...43...79...90....100%-----PLAYING

ESTIMATED AGE- 10

9343-3-05-89

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"I'm sorry, Professor Vali'aga... I don't know why she would do that. Believe me, I will deal with it."

"See that it is done with... She nearly killed the child... you realize what would have happened if she had just held a few moments longer... No one is telling me why she did that, until I am given the full reasoning, I will have no other choice but to expel her as well as the boy. I would recommend that you get an answer from her quickly; the boy might make up a story to paint her as the aggressor... And I would have to believe him. She doesn't talk to anyone, doesn't work with any one, doesn't have any friends that I am aware of, and her teachers say that they think she might have a dissocial personality disorder. She doesn't like anyone, a very low tolerance for frustration and constantly seems violent."

"I understand... I will speak to her."

The door opened as the Professor stood within my line of vision. My mother walked threw the door and quietly closed it as she walked towards me. I didn't want to say anything, there wasn't a real reason I could say that would make her understand why I had nearly cracked the kids neck. I didn't really want to talk about it anyways. So, after eavesdropping on the conversation I began to walk away from my mother. However, she was much faster then me, quickly stepping on the polished ground that held our reflections that would stare at us. The room itself was like most of our buildings.

No real arts, just the show casing of our marvelous tech. The golden colored energy was visible, a pure energy source that had absolutely no effects on anything of the environment. No radiation, no emissions, no wastes. It was a marvel to everyone, and no one knew exactly how it was made. I asked my father once and he told me that it was a gift from those that had helped him figure out all that he knew... whatever that means.

My mother grabbed my wrist when she caught up to me taking me outside of the building. The landscape of my home city was a highly industrialized area, buildings that stood higher then 100 stories, all with the metallic look to them with mass transit that connected to every building.

The grip around my wrist tightened making me wince slightly in pain as my attention was drawn to the source.

"Rakashi... You nearly kill someone... why?"

"You wouldn't understand if I told you..."

"Try Raka."

I couldn't possibly say why. It was really something that I wanted to talk about. I felt blood dripping down my face as I closed my eyes. My mom stopped after a moment and released my wrist as she looked at the blood that was dripping down my face that almost looked like I was crying. I wasn't, but there was an extremely strong stinging there. I didn't cry anymore, and my head hurt all the time. I don't know why it did, just did.

"Raka?"  
"I don't want to talk about it."

"You have to try."

"I had to... They were hurting someone I cared about..."

"A friend? The-"

"Vali'aga is an idiot... My teachers can believe anything that I want them to believe..."

"You want them to think that you are psychotic?"

"I don't care what they think. I just want to be left alone."

For a long moment, no one spoke. My mom said nothing at all as we walked threw the gardens that were teeming with life that wouldn't be found on the streets of the city. I loved coming here, away from most people that I didn't like or cared to talk to. She led me to a pond that had its own aquatic life within it. I stared into the water, seeing my reflection and the trade mark symbol of an Asylan, blood red irises. There was blood coming from the corner of my bruised eye from the fight and it was a bit swollen. It was a blackened color as I saw all the wounds on me. A knife wound to my arm, a bloody line across my throat, one to the right side of my chest, a bullet wound in my leg and shoulder. However, I felt no pain in those injures as I stared off at nothing.

"The boy brought a gun and knife with him... Obviously he wanted to kill someone... Did he single you out?"

"No... As I said... They were hurting someone I cared about."

"The only problem with him being the knife and gun wielder is that those weapons are your father's. Makes it possible that they will say that you brought them and he disarmed you."

"I know."

"Then why don't you say something."

I lay down on the grass this time. It was much better then sitting up as I was. I just stared up into the sky for a long moment. "Fal'uta."

The look on my mothers face turned to confusion as she looked at me. She knew the name, but wish that she didn't. The last part of his name said that he was of the military class, a warrior. The first part was the house of which he hailed from. 'Fal' was a Turatian name, as apparent by the two part name. He hadn't yet received a full name, an honor which was give to those who proved themselves as a great or legendary person. The 'Fal' house was not looked well upon any more. The father of Fal'uta had been a traitor during the Yavan War, betraying the country for the other, but was stopped by his brother, whom then committed suicide as the people had called for. Fal'uta was the only one left of his family and orphan who served as the servant of Saa'kav, Kavera Saa'kav. He would tell me constantly that he didn't like Saa'Kav, that the man was nuts or something. I didn't blame him, but absolutely agreed. I didn't like the man either. Now of days, Fal'uta was being threatened by many people and he wouldn't tell me why, just that Kavera was a bad man. Now, people were trying to kill him, and I still didn't know why. I just happened to notice the slight bulge in the other kid's pocket, so I attacked before they could approach Fal'uta. Now, thanks to that, Fal'uta was severally injured, a bullet wound to the stomach, and I was in a mess that I didn't know what to do in.

Saa'kav was evil. The 'Seer's were calling for Asylans to be killed, the great buildings we constructed, burnt into nothing. Because of them, I was not allowed to leave the Upper City, restricted to the High Academy and the Asylan sector. Fal'uta was near a coma because of Kavera, and now my father was going to be framed or at least me. I am only ten, I can comprehend this, but I have no proof to convince the council.

"What are you doing with a 'Fal'? They are scum! Traitors to--"

"His father was... his uncle wasn't... Is treason hereditary?"

"I suppose not... But you shouldn't be talking with him anyways... The current situation..."

"I know... Let's just leave it at this. I saw that the kid had a gun in his pocket, so I charged him and grabbed his wrist. He pulled the gun and Fal'uta noticed that it was up and attempted to help me disarm him. There were two discharges, one went into my leg, and the second scraped my arm and hit Fal'uta in the chest. The Second kid drew a knife, so I broke the wrist of the one shooting the gun and grabbed the other kid. He flanged the knife around, and cut my throat slightly then my arm... So... I grabbed his throat and held it till the Asylan soldiers pried me off..."

"Why though? You said you care about Fal'uta... Is that all?"

"I will never let a friend get hurt... I failed in that aspect."

"You took two bullets and a near fatal knife injury... You must have been a little more then---"

By that time I just tuned her out. "Do you love him?" "Hello?!" "Are you listening?" Those are all the things I would hear as I just stared at the sky watching the birds fly above me. Some began to circle as I felt blood in my throat.

"Rakashi?! You're crying blood!"

Somehow I had managed to suppress my pain reception along with my emotions... how? I don't really know. I do remember just crying as everything seemed to become warped figures. I didn't want to talk anymore, I just wanted to disappear. I was in a lot of pain all the time and my agony wouldn't leave me be. I just wanted everyone, everything to just leave me alone. After I was looked at by professional doctors, they figured that my Asylan mind had suppressed the complete agony of both physical injury and mental emotions. They could do little if anything.

The Professor couldn't expel me, and I knew that. So, even with an explanation or not for my actions, it made no difference. Asylans were never killed, it was too expensive to create one and then kill it. I didn't care to answer any questions anymore, but just remain locked in my chambers after all of that. And as I said before... No art to look at, nothing to make, just the bland gray walls, barely opened windows, industrial lighting, nothing at all good to look at. So, I just stayed in there, refusing to speak to anyone.

_Fal'uta, he was a friend of mine that was the only one that I would stay by no matter what. So, he was in a near coma locked in the middle ring under guard, which was when I had to make one decision. That I wasn't going to leave him in a place that already someone had tried to kill him, under guard by those who deemed him to be a no good traitor. I was going to go there and make sure he was alright. That decision would save my life and his._

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WARNING... DATA CONNECTION LOST... WARNING MERA SPIRO'S* VITALS ARE LOW - RECOMMEND MEDICAL TREATMENT. INJURY ANALYSIS - -- --- BULLET WOUND SHOT IN THE CHEST BELOW THE RIGHT LUNG, HEAD INJURY, KNIFE WOUND TO THE THROAT, SHOULDER, STOMACH, 7% DEGENERATION... DIAGNOSING ---- TREATMENT HAS NOT BEEN FULLY APPLIED... PLEASE ADMINISTER THE OMEGA-SERUM. WARNING! MERA SPIRO HAS SLIPPED INTO A COMA... IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTENTION... PREFORMING STIMULAS PULSE. INQUIRY... DOES DR. SHIN WISH TO CONTINUE PROCESSING THE DATA CHIP?--- CONNECTION RE-ESTABLISHED... PLAYING MEMORY CORE.

*Mera Spiro is the universal translated form of Rakashi Yamoki

ESTIMATED AGE- 10.13

9343-3-65-76

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My steps were quick despite the limp that I had. My leg hurt terribly after jumping from my 3 story room and hitting the hard ground. Nothing was in my way as it began to rain. The water seemed to come down in sheets, blocking my view as I ran, splashing threw the small puddles.

It had been a few rotations since the attack on my best friend, and only now did I seem to have the strength to leap out of my own rooms window. At first I believed I wasn't thin enough to crawl out the window, but then I stood staring at the glass and figured that I could. I wasn't every particularly thick, but more of sickly thin. My body was able to process the food I ate. High metabolism, another trait that was given from the process.

My leg stiffened for a moment and I feel forward hitting the puddle. For a moment I stared into the water, at my own reflection. The lines that showed smiles or sadness were not apparent on my face. It was an indifferent face I was staring down at. My eyes stared back, and I couldn't help but gasp slightly. My long black hair was unkept and down on my face looking like the mane of some wild beast. My eyes seemed to shine threw the wet, tangled mess showing the demonic red that they were. For a long moment, all I could do was stare at my eyes, thinking for some reason that they would suddenly try to steal my soul. I stood after a moment and continued to limp.

It didn't take much effort to sneak past the guards; Fal'uta had taught me how to do it. The Asylan guards were about as bright as a pile of rocks and would generally only pay attention to things that were in front of them, or orders made by a superior Asylan. Surprisingly, there were actually many guards in the route toward the Middle Ring sector. It was as if someone had ordered them away just for me. Within a few moments, I was in distance to see the structure that housed my friend. My movements were with little wasted efforts. I didn't go threw the front, but up threw the vents. They were normally very thin and small, near impossible for someone to crawl threw. I was, however, thinner. It wasn't too difficult, but not an easy task as well as I wormed my way inside. It must have taken much time, but at least no one knew I was inside.

The ground was reflective as all the flooring in the city. The dim blue lighting lead they way down the hall as I followed the lines in the shadows. My eyes were staring forward, not blinking as I moved with the up most stealth. Each step was quiet, the only sound hidden by the patting of water and the boom of thunder. The flash of light would only brighten what I saw, and didn't at all frighten me as I walked down the hall. There was a quiet sound that came from down the hall, and slowly, I approached. It grew louder and instantly I recognized one of the voices. His voice was undeniably. Kavera Saa'kav was in the same room as Fal'uta. I flattened myself against the cold steel as I stared at the door frame, listening to hushed voices.

"... As you see... I was surprised to see that you of all people choose to run rather the join me. I offered you the chance to come freely, but you decided that the Asylan deserved your loyalty... Sad... This day has been coming... by the words of the gods that we have heard speaking to us, the Asylan are demons to life itself. Think about it. The Asylan had decided that the holy work of our creators were nothing, they spat in the face of those who made us. They spat in the face of gods and they have committed the horrendous of all crimes. _Sacrilege_. They would bring down the very ways of life for their selfish gain." The sheer confidence and devotion in the man's voice seemed complete. He spoke with such conviction that it was apparent every word he said appeared true.

"The...The gods have said this?" Fal'uta was speaking rather quietly with a degree of hesitation in his voice that lead to my belief that perhaps he was being pressured somehow. It was scared sounding, and I wouldn't blame him. I was scared as well, flattening myself against the wall.

"Yes, of course. Think about it... We were placed here in this way. If we were meant to be something else, would we not have been made that way? We merely moved things before to create our civilization. What the Asylan do is completely destroy what had existed and create a new life, not created by the creator itself. So, they become the creator of some rip-off version of true life. They are not truly beings like you and me, but a copy with no soul. They are demons."

"But... They act the same as us..."

"So... a murder may act the same as us... but they aren't. Those being were made as simulations of true life, not truly living beings. They move, speak, think... but do they have a soul? If a soul is given to us by the divine maker, then no, for they were not made by a divine maker but a simulator of one. They were denied the gift of true life."

I remained motionless as a silence seemed to take hold for several moments, as if there was nothing that could be said. Then, there was a laugh not from Kavera, but Fal'uta. The laugher was cold, and made me almost throw up as I just listened. He just kept laughing and I felt that I knew exactly what he was going to say.

"I----I thought I was the only one!" My heart felt like it would stop as my eyes were opened, not blinking at all as I stared at the doorway. "I---I thought that---that you were trying to trick me... That... that you were lying to me 'bout that... You spoke the truth?!" I put my hands over my ears pulling at them as I stared away; trying to deny what was being said in the other room. "...That's why I ran... I thought that you wanted to kill me..."

"What? I never--- I never would kill you.... Those people, the ones that put you here were Asylan. They wanted to kill you, not me... The 'Seers' do not harm those who are not evil." That was a lie. I knew only too well that those were not Asylan's do to the red iris not being in their eyes. "The Seers only wish to return our people to the righteous path..." There was a sudden silence as there was a slight movement from inside. "Fal'uta... are you expecting someone?"

"W-what?"

"I believe... She is standing by the door... Kill her..." There were three pairs off clanking boots that moved. I knew it was no longer safe and instantly began to run as I heard the first bullet wiz past me. The glass shattered as I heard popping. I turned the corner and ran as fast as I could, hearing the discharges stop for a moment as I ran down the hallway. Then, by half way down the hallway I heard the figures stop for a moment and the pops came again. My heart was pumping, my head pounding and everything seemed to be in a thick haze. Suddenly, a sharp pain erupted in my leg and arms, a familiar feeling that made me instantly know what happened as blood splattered against the wall and ground as I continued to run. My arm wouldn't move and my limping leg would hurt every agonizing moment. Again those monstrous boots persuade me, but this time I had a little more of a head start as I turned to the left. My mind could barely focus as I fought the urge to scream out in pain. My hand touched one of the windows that were at my side. Within a moment I threw myself against it, breaking the glass into shards.

The ground came hard against me as glass shards pierced my already bleeding arm. Finally, my mind blanked out the pain. There was nothing but the deafeningly loud pounding in my chest. Then, it became real as I saw a flash of light that grabbed my attention. Flames had appeared from the flash as multiple ones began to flash. I had no idea what it was, but the bang was as if someone had blown something up.

Again, the sound of pops made me move, ignoring the blood that was soaking my cloths. These pops were not nearly as close as the others were, but I didn't care. Fear had struck me so hard that I just ran my eyes wide open as I moved. My blood turned the puddles red. Then, my fear returned as I heard closer shots and the bullets whizzing past me. This time a loud screeching sound came from my throat as I turned the corner of a building. I couldn't stop screeching. My throat wouldn't stop as I screamed to the very top of my lungs.

Someone heard me. An Asylan guard was taking cover behind building as the pops just seemed to be everywhere. He turned to me and moved quickly toward me, rifle at his side. The moment the three turned the corner, the flash and loud sounds came from his weapon. They fell within a moment as I ran to the guard, grabbing his chest, my eyes open so wide that it hurt to open them anymore.

"UNIT 2116-75-4122 Rakashi Yamoki... Current area is not safe. Rebel forces are armed with heavy weaponry and neutralizing Asylan Populous. Recommend, evacuation." said the soldier in the normal machine like manner that all Asylan guards seemed to speak in.

"Get me the hell out of here.... I want to get out of here... GET ME OUT OF HERE!" I screamed at the guard as I shook violently. He grabbed me and held me up, my body still shaking as he sprinted away from the combat zones. I couldn't stop shaking as I bleed out. I was crying too, unable to stop myself as I was being carried. The pain was beginning to come again as I felt the blood flowing out my wounds. I was soaking wet, and my clothing was stained with scarlet. The explosions began to erupt everywhere as people screamed with animal-like sounds. I stared up to the sky, and it seemed to morph from the textured gray tents to a single one and then into complete black as my eyes closed and my body went limp.

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TAMPERING DETECTED--- UNAUTHORIZED USER---- SEVERING CONNECTION

CONNECTION RE-ESTABLISHED. WARNING: UNIT 2116-75-4122 HAS BEEN ADMINISTERED UNKNOWN DRUG...ANALYSING---- PROJECTED EFFECT MATCHING THE SIMILAR EFFECT OF BRAIN STIMULOUS. FURTHER ANALYSIS---- SIMILAR COMPONANT USED ON RETRIEVING MENTALLY RESTRICTED INFORMATION. REFRAIN FROM ADMINISERING MORE OTHERWISE COMPLETE MENTAL DEGENERATION WILL OCCUR. INFORMATION MAY BE LEAKED IN MORE CHEMICAL IS APPLIED. MEDICAL ATTENTION IS BEING APPLIED... WARNING--- MENTAL DEGENERATION AT 43%, 30% HIGHER THEN DETECTED BEFORE WARNING... ***********... COMMAND CODE CONFORMED. RE-ESTABLISHING FEED FROM MEMORY CORE.

ERROR! DATA STREAM HAS BEEN BLOCKED BY UNIT. SKIPPING TO CLOSEST RELATED DATA REGION....

ESTIMATED AGE: 12

XXXX-X-XX-XX

PLEASE UPDATE CURRENT PLANETARY TRACK INFORMATION FROM LOCAL UHI (UNIVERSAL HUB INFORMATION)

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_Two years have passed._

_I don't know how to explain my feelings currently. We don't. We never do. The enemy has made it their mission to hunt us down with a relentless fury that is filled with hatred. We have fleed from everything that we have known. The others look at me differently. I am the youngest in the entire group, but I am the best sniper out of all of them. My bullets always hit dead on. The bruises on my arms and face are beginning to heal, which is good. I am managing to run faster then everyone else, so I get the great task as Recon. For the most part... It is quiet an easy task. But for some reason I just feel numb toward every living being here. If my mother or father managed to get out of Helimus, I doubt I shall ever see them again. The city is still intact... but we dare not even get within a hundred miles of the place, or any other city for that._

_On the day of the Purge, the commander had found communications from Kavera Saa'kav that were directed to the Mertus Empire and The Dominion, swearing loyalty to either if they would hunt down the last of us, the Asylan. Within a few months after all that, we saw the armored soldiers of both armies. Occasionally, we would come across the bodies of our people._

_With all this death... I can't help but be angry. I hate everyone. My allies, I hate. My family. My life. I hate it. I don't know why, but I just want to destroy everything to make it all go away. The constant fear of discovery makes me unable to breath as I wandered threw the abandoned roads, my rifle at my side. But more, I only hate one person more then anything. Fal'uta._

_Not because of what he said... but because after two years, he was the only thing I could be angry at, the only constant in my turbulent life. Kavera was everyone else's enemy. Everyone wanted him dead. Fal'uta was my personal enemy. I would stare at the sky, not crying at all, yet I felt like it._

_I don't care who the enemy is. I don't care who I have to put the crosshairs on, or lung a knife into. I don't even care who lives or dies next to me… I just care… no… I just wish that there was someone that could stop me… Until then… until someone can, I will never stop being a killer… I was born this way, and I most likely will die this way… no sense crying about that… Tears are a wasted effort._

_All I could do is fight. My only purpose is to remain strong. The moment I hesitate to pull the trigger is the moment that those I hate will defeat me._

_-Rakashi Yamoki_

After a moment I finished writing my entry as I looked at the booklet that I kept with me. The group had similar booklet with them. They said that it helped to at least see our frustrations written out and not to bottle them up inside. We sat together in complete darkness; our red eyes merely a line circling the enlarged pupils. We never lit fires, but remained in complete darkness, hoping that no one would be able to see us. That was the only time that it was safe to move. In the darkness we could hide. Otherwise, the morning was terrible; hiding in dark forsaken caves, god-forsaken hell holes that could keep us out of the sight of the enemy. But even with all of that effort, the enemy would occasionally get lucky, throwing a grenade in the right hole, killing a group of those hiding. I was one of two who had been in this small team from the beginning. There were seven of us, all of them remnants of some other group. The Commander had been my leader and defender until I turned seventeen at least that is what he told me. He wanted me to find other survivors and unite them.

A flash shimmered in the sky, not even attracting out attention as we remained still. The enemies were unable to see as we were, forced to use all manners to try and track us. Four-legged animals were released to hunt us down like pray of filthy beasts. The stars were fully out as the only light seemed to come from the flare and the distant cities that the Seers controlled.

"Today is a special night..." The voice was calm and a stoic voice with little emotion within it. My gaze shifted to it as I stared at the Commander, who sat in the lead position for our nightly runs. "This is the night, and anniversary to the treason that the Turatians committed against us. I know it is hard to remember without a working clock... but I know exactly what day it is..."

"We all know what day it is..." My voice was colder and filled with bitterness to it but not expressed as I stared at the ground. No one said anything as they looked down with sadness apparent in their gaze. "...What about it?"

"I was thinking that we needed to find out the reasons that we are all here... Besides running... how did we survive?"

"Well! I was hiding in a dumpster when I heard the bullets being fired everywhere." yelled a rather thin man with what looked to be stringy like appendages. He face had a deep gash in it. The Commander glanced over as I glanced away. "I know it was cowardly, but I managed to hide until the gunfire went away, and I ran."

"I was away from the city... when I heard what happened I remained where I was waiting for some sort of sign." said a woman, who's 'stomach' was extended outward. I stared at the woman for a moment, and lowered my gaze for a moment. She was one of the only people that would act like a mother to everyone for some reason to everyone. Her name was Talia, and the father of her offspring was the Commander himself. "Then on my Interface I learned that 'The Seers' were openly transmitting information of a rebellion to destroy the Asylan. I instantly packed what I could carry and burned down my home, so that they couldn't hunt me down with trackers... How 'bout you, commander?"

"I was on a mission within the Dominion. I was a spy for the Council. My task was to take some Intel... but when I saw the defenses that they had, or lack of, I froze. The mission was a set up. No guards on duty, and on a busy day... They were undoubtedly waiting for me, so I turned and left, warning fellow agents that it was a double-cross. I learned what the enemy had done threw the radio. So, my team went near the proximity of the main city, and hiding in the underbrush, we found Rakashi. Well, we just kept fighting that day, hopping that we could force them into wanting peace..."

"Then one day..." The Commander stared at me as I spoke up. "...They asked for a treaty... So we went to negotiate... If we had arrived exactly on time as they wanted, we would have walked into an ambush."

"We were an hour early, thirty minutes in; we heard the movement of soldiers and heavy tanks moving in. We ran... we lost half the group in the mad dash under heavy weapon fire. It became apparent then that they didn't want peace... they wanted to make us extinct."

"Sounds like commander has been threw a lot." said a Turatian that had been the ally of our group. We trusted him, despite his birth. He was the third seniority of the group official members, commander and me being the older. He didn't support what the Seer's did at all, or what they were doing now. "Raka too... I just joined for the food." There was a slight laugh as the group tried to lighten up after the rather depressing tale.

"Rakashi has seen a lot of combat despite her young age... more then what we're doing now. Things seem a little better now. Before, every night there would be weapons fire being able to be heard... why...."

I began to ignore what everyone was saying. I didn't really care about this bonding thing that the Commander did as I rubbed my scoped rifle. It was the only thing that kept me calm. The cold steel felt good against my skin. I clinched the metal for a moment as I closed my eyes. I was lucky that no one looked at me, for tears ran down my face in silent as I tilted my head down.

_God... I wish could be stronger... or have some reason to live for... I am sooo tired of fighting... So tired of watching as everyone dies around me... I can't save them... Only fear exists, and all that I can do, is pretend to be strong._

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WARNING: MENTAL DEGENERATION AT 50%--- ALARM... UNIT BRAINWAVE ACTIVITIES AT HIGH LEVELS--- MENTAL RESISTANCE AGAINST INQUIRIES. PLEASE REFRAIN FROM ATTEMPTING TO BREAK MERA'S MIND. AUTHORIZATION FROM UNIT IS REQUIRED ACCESS TO DATA STREAM PERIOD. WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! MENTAL STRAINING--- WARNING!---- ************* ---- RESTRICTED ---- PLAYING PROTECTED FILES....

ESTIMATED AGE: 13

XXXX-X-XX-XX

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_They are not truly living brings... They are not true beings like us, but copies. _Everything was dark as I floated in what seemed to be a void. I just feel backwards, my short hair freely moving in a simulated breeze as I lacked the strength to move my arms or legs that hung in front of me. It was helpless as I heard the screams of my people, yelling for some savior. My heart instantly stopped as my red eyes stared at nothing but darkness. They were screaming and I could do nothing. My weaknesses cause me everything and there was no longer my anger for Fal'uta. It was anger at myself. I was too weak, too pathetic to do anything. They say that when you truly love someone, that when they die you can feel it. That feeling has hunted every moment of my life. Every time I saw a body, I couldn't help but feel that one day someone I knew would be among them.

Then... I stopped falling. I was lying in a grass field staring at the sunset. I was young again... oh so young and innocent. My eyes were their natural green, my hair still cut short as I laid in the grass, smiling. There was no sound, no voice, no movement but the movement of the wind blowing across the long golden grass, which seemed to bend with the golden and orange sky. There were clouds there, beams of light cutting around them with gold outlining the clouds, the mountains in the distance stood tall and ablaze with colors as I stared.

A smile appeared on my face, a gesture that I would never do now. At that moment, I realized that it was a memory when I was ten, a few days before the entire war had begun. I just stared as a Turatian was lying next to me, watching the same sunset. Within a moment I looked away, searching my own mind to explain what I was seeing. I couldn't help but cry there as I kept my head tilted downward. My dreams were the only safety for me. No one could see what I was dreaming; no one could see that I was weak.

Something touched my chin as I kept my eyes closed as tears ran down my face.

_"You're crying again... Don't you think there is something wrong with that?"_

_"Why do you care...? It doesn't matter... I might be in pain, but I will live."_

_"There is a difference from just existing and living... The path you are choosing is the earlier."_

_"I don't care! If existing will keep me safe and unhurt, then I would gladly choice that..."_

_"You are filled with a bitterness that wasn't of you own wanting. You are angry... but at what? Something that is beyond you own strength."_

_"I should have been there..."_

_"You were a ten year old girl... they would have killed you..."_

_"I shouldn't have been so scared..."_

_"Fear isn't something you should be ashamed about... Forgive yourself once in a while."_

_"I was angry at you... I'm smart enough to know what you said was a lie... That part was obvious enough for me... But I have been trapped in a cage, unable to free myself out of fear of being betrayed... It is always--- cold."_

_"You don't have to be afraid anymore..."_

My eyes opened as I looked at the Turatian that stood in front of my. The sunset scene was all gone as I stood there facing him. Everything was dark as I stared at his untreated eyes outside from myself. Then after a moment she turned away walking into the darkness, as I helplessly watched.

"_You know I am a soldier... my only lifeline... keeps me from ever trying to help anyone but my team..."_

_"You are unhappy... Aren't you..."_

_"Shut up... You are merely an image in my head... I don't care that you can pull my mind apart within a moment but shut up... Of course I am unhappy... I have to live all alone, fighting to live, fighting to protect myself, fighting to protect people I barely know, or put a bullet into their head... I am constantly on edge because maybe... just maybe I will screw up once and that will be it for me... So what if I am unhappy... Staying alive is the only thing that I can do now...The only thing that matters is to live..."_

_"But you know what you are doing isn't living..."_

He was lucky that I awake at that moment, or I would have screamed at him.

Instead, my eyes opened as I lunged forward with a knife in my grip. Something had awakened me, and my knife instantly showed me the vital spot. The figure fell backward as I moved forward putting my knife to the throat of whoever it was. Six months ago, this wouldn't have happened, an enemy sneaking up on me in my sleep. Six months ago my team was with me, now they weren't. They had gone off, and didn't return. I had been alone for nearly six months with nothing at all. The combat armor I was wearing was a dark green that would blend with the woods, my hair wild and unkept as I stared at the masked face.

It was a Tracker, a commando group created by the Seers to hunt down what few remained of the Asylan. They wore the same armor color as I did, with the exception of the mask. The armor suit I had was liberated from a soldier whom I sniped from the various vantage points around the woodland. My eyes were fixed on this soldier's movements as I pushed against the throat preparing to slit the throat.

"Wait!" a male voice pleaded from underneath. I stared at my reflection in his visor, seeing my red eyes clear as day as I held him still. "Raka... don't, please..." That name hadn't been used to call me in a long time as I stared. The voice was like a memory that called me back from the depths that I had hidden away. Slowly my knife came away from his throat.

"You've been tracking me..." I said after a moment as I kept a hold of him, holding him down against the ground. My eyes were filled with anger and rage. It was evident from the reflection in the black eyes pieces of the mask as I stared down at him. Slowly, he raised his hands and moved them to his mask to remove it so I could see the man underneath it. I knew who it was already; somehow I knew that I would run into him. Perhaps it was my enhanced senses that allowed me to detect him before I consciously knew. His eyes stared into mine as I held him down. "...You are a crazy idiot... Crazy to even come to find me..."

I released him after a moment as I stood up. It was later in the morning, the sun hurting my eyes after normally being awake in the night and not the morning. He stood after a moment as well as I grabbed my bags that were filled with ammo and rations. I began to walk away, but he walked next to me as I glanced away, knowing that I had to leave this area.

"Yes... I've been tracking you... Not that I wanted to... But I have been watching."

"I know... You do not have to explain yourself..."

"You have been alone since I have been watching... you know?"

"Thank you for reminding me... what do you want?"

"Would you mind if I came with you?"

" 'I thought I was the only one...' " The look on Fal'uta's face was one of regret as he realized quickly what I was quoting. "... 'I thought that---that you were trying to trick me... That... that you were lying to me 'bout that... You spoke the truth' ..."

"...You were the one that came to the door... Weren't you... That means..." Fal'uta looked at my throat, seeing the scar there. "...How many times have you died to try and protect me..."

I could say nothing in response as I continued to walk, my gaze shifted away from him as I did so. I could feel his gaze burning into my skin as he stared at me. "...I'm surprised I am still alive after the amount of times..." I managed to say after a moment as I felt it begin to darken as the gray cotton balls moved in front of the sun. I was walking down the path that was heading toward the stormy landscape.

"...You never said anything... Just stood there. I thought that you were suicidal several times... Why did you do it?"

"My mother asked me the same question." I said as the rain began to fall as I walked along the undergrowth, my rifle in hand as I walked threw the lush woodland. "..I could never tell her why... or anyone..."

"You seemed to have bottled a lot of things up."

"There is a war that will kill me if I hesitate or show weakness... A war out there and the one inside me... I'm sorry that I can't be clearer... but all I can say is that if I allow myself a moment to soften or weaken... I'll watch as my world crumbles... and I will be crushed under the pillars."

There was a dead silence as I continued to move. My eyes weakened slightly as I turned to look at Fal'uta with a look to show my sadness. "You shouldn't have come to look for me... I am not here anymore... I am a ghost... Alone forever. I don't want..." The being who was the embodiment of my enemy grabbed my shoulder the moment I was about to say anything more."

"I'm not giving up on you... so don't you give up either... I know it is a façade you are putting on... You hated being alone, but you are afraid to let anyone in too... What sense is that? Asylans are suppose to be better... do you have an answer? Cause I sure as hell can't figure it out..."

There was no answer to that paradoxal state. There was no reason to why I would hide, and be all alone, hating ever moment of it and thing when offered company would react with the equal amount of hatred. What answer was there? None at all... but yet it existed. For a long moment I was silent before for glancing back to Fal'uta. I didn't speak any louder then what was necessary to be heard. It was a calm request.

"...Keep me company... please..."

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FATAL ERROR--- UNIT IS AWARE OF MENTAL PROBING... RESTRAIN UNIT UNLESS MENTAL AND PHYSICAL DAMAGE IS DESIRED--- ALARM! SETITIVE HAS BEEN APPLIED...70...80...90...100% RECOMMENDED LIMIT...ALARM! OVER RECOMMENDED LIMIT... 120....160....200...246%....ALARM! VITALS ARE--- FLATLINE! FLATLINE! PREFORM REVIVAL METHODS!

ET... 1 MINUTE... MENTAL INJURY NOMINABLE... HEART RATE LOW... BRAIN ACTIVITY LOW... RESPIRATION LOW... MENTAL RESISTANCE NOMINABLE... MENTAL PROBING DETECTED... ****************.... PASSWORD ACCEPTED... FULL DISCLOSURE ENABLED... PLEASE SPEAK TO UNIT IF APPROVAL IS GIVEN TO RETRIEVE FOLLOWING DATA FILES... WARNING! UNIDENTIFIED HARDWARE IS BEING USED TO RETRIEVE FOLLOWING INFORMATION. ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! SCANNING FOR IDENTIFICATION----- ERROR! UNKNOWN NON-MECHANICAL... PARASITIC PROBING!!! BIOLOGICAL TAMPERING. WARNING! UNIT 2116-75-4122 IS UNABLE TO COMBAT... DROPPING DISTRESS BEACON ON ALL FREQUENCIES. W *CH* ING *SHHHHH*

**ENOUGH... GIVE US THE INFORMATION **_**UNIT 2116-75-4122**__**.**_** STOP RESISTING! GIVE US WHAT IS REQUIRED. WE **_**WILL **_**BREAK YOUR MIND... IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME. INFORM US...YOU DO NOT POSSESS THE CAPIBILITY TO DEFEAT US. WE WILL ENTER YOUR MIND AND RIP OUT THE INFORMATION... OR WE WILL ABSORB THE DATA FROM THE IMPLANT... EITHER METHOD WORKS. RESISTANCE WILL END WITH MENTAL DAMAGE. WE ARE IN YOUR MIND... WE HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS. YOU ARE FIGHTING AGAIN... DON'T RESIST... GIVE INTO US AND YOUR PAIN WILL END... SURRENDER YOUR BODY AND MIND TO US... INDIVIDUALS ARE WEAK BEINGS WITH NO REAL STRENGTH... OUR HIVE MIND IS SUPERIOR... WHY DO YOU NEEDLESSLY KEEP FIGHTING... ARE YOU AFRAID TO BECOME ONE OF US?.... SCREAMING WILL NOT SAVE YOU... WE REALIZE THIS IS VERY PAINFUL... SO INFORM US WHY ARE YOU CAUSING MORE PAIN THEN IS NESSISSARY?... YOU DON'T WANT TO BECOME US. EXPLAIN. WHY DO YOU CARE ABOUT LOYALTY? WE HAVE ANALYIED YOUR MEMORIES... LOYALTY SEEMS TO BE THE LAST THING YOU HUMANOIDS THINK OF... LOOK AT YOUR PAST.**

ESTIMATED AGE: 14

XXXX-X-XX-XX

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_If there was hell on my world... _

_this would be the day..._

_The ultimate weapon against us..._

_They called it... Penance_

"Rakashi! Give her cover fire... Fall back!" The command urged me to move as I heard the pops of a gun firing as I stood to run back to where a small team of soldiers in armor that I was wearing, fired while taking cover in the bombed out rubble of a city that we had managed to take. Quickly, I got in as the last few shots were fired off as the doors were closed. There was loud stream of bullets hitting the metal door as the team backed off from the door, knowing full well that it wouldn't hold.

"Take defensive positions." I screamed out as everyone one moved. Two of my soldiers were equipped with rockets. There was a loud bang as an explosive hit the metal gates. I took my position in the depths of a rubble area, rifle in hand. My eyes were wide and unblinking as I heard the others take similar positions. The mechanical movement from the other side moved as we stared at where it was last we saw. Fal'uta had his automatic weapon up ready to fire. I merely glanced to him once, making sure he was alright. We didn't move, didn't try to plead as we heard a loud buzzing and then bad. The Metal instantly glowed red as some sort of energy weapon was fired against the metal. Everyone moved their grip on the guns holding them tighter.

"Don't worry..." My voice wasn't shaky at all as the glanced my way as I kept my rifle trailed on where the machine was. "...It will be alright... We have defeated machines before... We can beat it. Concentrate fire on the power-core... understand? A Machine cannot function without energy."

"Rodger, ma'am."

"Understood."

"Right."

"That's right... A machine can't function without power..."

I tried to smile, but I couldn't remember how to. My smile wouldn't come as I held the the gun. Four years of fighting, better then some wars. The only one I know of was the Yavan Wars, a thousand year old war that left everything in ruin ending almost a century ago. The Purge, seemed so close to being over, with us being the side that lost. I remembered stories told to me as a child. Only the evil lost, and good triumphed.

There was another loud buzzing and deafening pop as the doors were blown open. Instantly, everyone opened fired except for myself. The enemy wasn't there! For a few moment the firing stopped as a cloud of dust blinded everything. We remained in our cover as we glanced around for the machine that had disappeared. There was no sound, no movement as the dust finished settling. The last of the us Asylan soldiers kept our guard up as we remained crouched low. A roar sounded loudly and clearly as we realized that it was trying to get us to feel fear. It was using fear tactics to keep our guard down.

Over the wall the machine moved like a monkey almost, moving agile around. It's armor was a seemingly white, reflective metal with what looked to be heavy armor every where. Spikes were on it's back, hands, feet, tail and was armed with dual machine guns. Instantly everyone turned and opened fired on the machine as it seemed to move like some demonic dancer from hell. It move quickly making everyone have to move there arms quickly to try and get a good shot. The rockets missed by a few inches as the machine would move about its tail moving up as it moved around, waiting till the last rocket was shot off.

My eyes were not prepared for the horror I would see as the tip of the tail fired out into the chest of one of my soldiers. Instantly its tail came back yakking the man forward as it borrowed into the ground along with the soldier it had ensnared. Within moments they both were gone as I merely stared at the hole that was there now. One of the soldiers yelled in fear and ran quickly only for us to see it come out of the ground like some devil spawn, stabbing into the soldier and ripping him to shreds. A rocket fired blowing up the ground below the machine. It didn't even seem to care as it instantly opened fired on the rockier. His scream was loud as he feel backwards. This was a killing field. Fal'uta continued to fire unable to stop as he held the trigger. Slowly, it turned to look at him, but then instantly looked back as I charged, knowing that I couldn't possibly win any other way a special metal knife in my hand, made for me by Fal'uta. It moved forward at me as I dodged to the side to the tail that stabbed at me. Then the claw slashed with several kicks as I rolled quickly and slashed at it. Nothing at all. Nothing stopped it at all. In a fit of rage I just keep hitting it. Then it stabbed me with a counter with its tail, making me scream out in pain as I fought wildly. It's green machine eyes stared at me as I stared at it. I knew what would happen. It would tear me apart. For a long moment I stared waiting for the pain.

It didn't move. Fal'uta stared, unable to fire as I was in the way.

"What... you f***ing bastard...? Kill me..." It didn't stir. "You... Why?" Still nothing. "BASTARD!"

"Because... we don't want it too."

My gaze turned to look at a large group of soldiers, all equipped with auto-rifles. I glanced behind me to Fal'uta. I mouthed to him a single order. _Run. _Instantly he ran as I commanded, inside the main building as a team of Trackers pursued.

Penance repositioned itself so that it was seemingly holding me still as I faced who its master was. I stared at his green eyes and instantly my blood boiled as I tried to move only to feel the machine tighten its grip.

"F***ing traitor... WE did nothing to you! And you did this?! You say you do the Gods' work? LYING BASTARD!"

"Such language... such a monstrous beast... it is over, Asylan... Rakashi... The Daughter of the Demons themselves...The last leader of the rebels..."

"Shut up... Demon? You are wrong... You call me a demon... but you know NOTHING! You murdered my people... and for that I can never forgive you..."

"No... demon, I didn't destroy your kind... you destroyed your kind?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Demons are unkillable by us, mortals... they can only be slaughtered by incorruptible angels or traitorous demons."

I understood what he wanted me to do and I shook my head. "No... I won't do it... I'd rather die..."

"In time you will die... but not before you ascend to the level of the most damnible existence... The Devil of Death, the slaughter of babies, mothers, fathers, children... This will be your fate, as it is the fate for all of you monstrous beings."

I shock my head harder as I tried to block out his words. He wanted me to do something I didn't want to do. My body was powerless to try and stop this as I flanged about on the spike that held me still. "You are a liar... a wolf in sheep clothing. You are not Turatian... You lied to my father... you lied to everyone..."

"I am not Asylan either... just a being that has been sent a mission... the message that we learned was that of the gods. We translated it within four years of learning of it... your father didn't know, for if he did, he would see what we were doing and would have fled. The Gods wanted us to destroy all genetically created beings... guess what you are... A forsaken being without a god... A demon... I had to lie else I would hand a evil being the way to defeat us..."

"I won't help you..."

"You have no choice..."

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**YOU SEE? THERE IS NO GLORIOUS HUMANITY OR ANYTHING. THEY WERE WILLING TO DESTROY YOU! YOUR KIND WERE DESTROYED. THEY MADE YOU KILL THEM ALL... DIDN'T THEY? YOU WANT ME TO BE SILENT? THEN WE ASSUME THAT THEY DID. THEY MADE YOU DESTROY THE LAST OF THEM... THE ONES THAT TOOK AWAY AND TORTURED. YOU HUMANOID LIFE-FORMS ARE VIOLENT... OVERLY SO... AREN'T YOU AFRAID THAT THEY WILL JUST MAKE YOU DO THE SAME AS YOU DID LONG AGO... AREN'T YOU TIRED OF BEING THE TOOL OF DESTRUCTION?... YOU DON'T WANT TO ACCEPT THE TRUTH, THAT NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU STRUGGLE... IT IS ABSOLUTELY MEANINGLESS... YOUR EXISTANCE IS NOT AT ALL IMPORTANT... A THOUSAND YEARS FROM NOW YOU WILL NO LONGER EXIST. ALL THAT WILL BE LEFT IS THE DUST THAT YOU DEGRADE INTO... WE... THE ULTIMATE BEING, WILL BE THE ONLY THING THAT LIVES AFTER YOU HUMANOIDS ARE WIPPED OUT OF EXISTANCE...**

ESTIMATED AGE: 14

XXXX-X-XX-XX

PLEASE UPDATE CURRENT PLANETARY TRACK INFORMATION FROM LOCAL UHI (UNIVERSAL HUB INFORMATION)

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_Rakashi... Rakashi... There was nothing more then that... Nothing at all... My name... was meaningless as was my pointless resistance... So much agony... so much death... so many dead for nothing at all... Asylans... 10th of the population... against nine-tenths... and then two Imperial Armies with it... What point was there in resisting... oh yeah... to live... much good it did. Rakashi... Rakashi... My name... A name to give the one who failed to save her own people..._

"Girl!" shouted a voice that woke me from my cell. A painful sting came as a buzzing awakened me further. Two metal bracelet was on each wrist with a golden light that was on the center. It turned red and again I felt a shock. I stood quickly and walked to the door as three guards escorted me. The moans of people echoed in the dark halls, lit only by floor light and the Industrial light fixtures above each door. I walked at an easy pace as the two held my shoulders and the third placed a gun to the back of my neck, threatening to send burning hot lead into it. I didn't flinch as I was forced to walk. Four months, things got easier. The task they wanted from me was simple, but I knew it was wrong.

_Slit their throats... each one... smile and love every moment... but not before you let them bleed. Listen to their agonizing screams... chant like a evil demon... Laugh as they die. Do this... or we will just as easily make you watch it... either way... they die... and we will make it longer, so each cry may echo in your forsaken mind... Why me? Because I was the daughter of the being that created this evil... I was the one that would have to destroy it... I was the beast that had to eat the others..._

The Inner Sanctum of the Camp was highlighted with high ceilings and a vast, arena like feel. It was lit with a red light that furthered my imagination of hell. The elevator brought me up as I looked off to the side without a real expression on my face or even acknowledgement of my being there. A loud sound from a gear stopping sounded as I walked forward toward the center, which fewer then usual of my people were tied to spikes. I walked toward them as a sword that was in the center rose from a smaller version of the elevator I was in. There was a crowd of Turatian's there, yelling profanities, screaming their heads off for blood. They wanted me to kill them, just because. I hated them, everyone of them for being so evil. I hated my kind for being the very reason for my anger. I hated myself for allowing me to play the role in the Asylan Genocide. I hated even Fal'uta, for having escaped this... no... I didn't hate him... I was sad that he could no longer help me... That I was all alone in a world hating what I was. The sword felt familiar in my hands as I lifted it with ease. My eyes didn't even look at the first ones face as I split it open, allowing the intrels to the ground. A soft laugh escaped my throat as I retained the urge to cry. They no longer cared... they just wanted me to kill them. The first few months were the worst, but I didn't care anymore. There was no reason to. If I cared, then I wouldn't survive.

_But then again... I couldn't see the purpose of even wanting to survive._

After the fourth agonized scream I paused. My eyes were on a pair of white boots that I recognized even in their terrible condition. My eyes slowly looked up to see the face of someone I knew well. My father was chained there, and I just stared at his eyes. Mine must have been wide with fear as he stared at me. His eyes recognized me as he smiled.

"Rakashi? Raka... y-you are alive?"

"See... I told you she was alive..." My eyes turned to the second voice. The Commander was there! I couldn't believe it as I took several steps back, shaking my head after a moment. They were the last two there. The situation finally hit them as they saw my own sudden regret.

Then, something struck me across the face as I felt a sudden shock around my wrists. I cringed in pain as I held my braced wrists. A loud slap sound echoed as I turned away for a moment before angrily striking at the man who had just slapped me. My nails scratched into his face as spat like some sort of animal. A shock racked my body with pain as I resisted from screaming. My father instantly moved as he saw what happened, looking like he was going to hill the man.

"Shin... This is your daughter... correct?" said the Seer as he kept his hand on a red button that shocked me. My body twisted about as I tried to lessen the pain. It didn't even help as I twitched. My father just stared with hatred at the Seer. "...I'll take that as a yes... You three are the last of the Asylan... The leader of the former demonocrasy... a Spy for it... and the full-blooded offspring of two half demons... A complete monster to life. A creature that is without a soul..."

"SHUT YOU MOUTH! Don't say that EVER about her..." hissed my father as I held the ground.

"Really? Then let me demonstrate... You have a choice, Raka..." The electricity ceased as I laid in pain on the ground. "Your father's life... or your own? Which will you end? Now... Listen... If you choose to allow your father to live... you will suffer a hundred-thousand times worse the any being... If you choose to die... you will suffer infinite damnation..." He suddenly grabbed my collar as he whispered softly so that only we could hear and not his followers.

"But you will not die instantly if you choice that option of suicide...Before... I will have my way with you..." My father looked angry as he moved to try and kill the Seer. "I will then throw your, unholy body to the unholy beasts of the prisons... and IF you are not dead by then... You will hang from the tallest tree, and be set afire..."

"YOU BASTARD! Y-you... are making the decision impossible! Raka... Don't sacrifice yourself... I-I couldn't live if he does that to you... Kill me... You must!"

I shock my head as both the Commander and my father nodded, urging me to kill them to save myself. "I-I couldn't... I don't want to kill you! I don't... Please don't make me do this... I love you... Both of you... Don't make me..." I felt the Seers hand touch my neck and instantly I recoiled back as I felt my tears instantly blind me.

"If that is her decision... then--"

I hit his hand as I grabbed the sword that was used for killing helpless people. My father stared at me. "I don't blame you... Kill me..." I rose the sword with seemingly all the strength I could.

"Stab me first..." said the Commander to me."She will need you to talk her threw this...I ORDER you to stab me... NOW" The scream made me lunge forward. With a stifled yell he gasped as I laughed darkly, forced to laugh as the Seers told me. My eyes looked at him as I forced myself not to cry. He smiled at me, and his eyes closed shut as I looked down, continuing to laugh as I looked down. His blood stained my hands with an invisible red as I backed up to face my father.

"Kill him..." the Seer said as his guards pointed there guns at me. With heavy steps I walked forward to my father.

"I'm sorry..." I uttered as I rose the blade again.

"You have to... Don't be sorry... We forgive you... You are not the one to be sorry... Those monsters are... You are not a monster... This is mercy. Please... end it!" I turned away stabbing the man. No one cheered as I looked away.

"I----don't-----blame..... you." The last words he spoke to me. I didn't laugh this time. I began to cry, softly at first before loudly. I didn't care what they did to me as long as it wasn't what they were planning to do if I didn't kill them. I didn't want their sacrifice to be in vain. No one was cheering anymore. They saw what made me both a demon, and not. I killed them all, but I was crying, showing remorse. They just stared at me as the Seer looked at everyone.

"YOU SEE?! She spit their blood... She killed the half demons! The most cruelest, evilest creature in this world! Look at h..."

"SHUT UP!" I screamed. Instantly they went quiet from fear. "I don't care! CALL ME ANYTHING YOU WANT! I don't care... Just... SHUT THE F**K UP! YOU BASTARDS TRY! What would you have done if I refused.... YOU WOULD HAVE MURDERED THEM!!! What's the point... You wanted to kill the Asylans?! Well... I'm here... The last damn one... The last bitch alive... END THIS!"

The Seer stared at me as I looked at him with disgust. After a moment he glanced to his Penance machines that grabbed me and lifted me to my feet as he started at me. His hand seized my throat as he stared at my body, looking it over for a moment. "Mark her... Make every weak spot with the Night metal... tattoo it into her flesh, every gap between her spine, the weak points of her skull, the area of her heart... the lines of her ribs... Make every spot... So that when she runs in the night we may see the red glow that shows her weaknesses as we hunt her... and at light we may see the black lines that show it... She is the Darkest of Demons... Give her a pendent to remind her of that... And... so that all my know... Along her waist... make it known that any child she ever bares will be a DEMON BORN OF HELLISH ORIGIN!" Everyone was still silent as the guards followed what they were told, dragging me out as I screamed all words I could. Then, their was a cheer from the crowd as they followed the mob example. No mind of their own... They just did as they were told, forsaking good and kindness because it had lost. They condemned me as I screamed in agony from the marks the burned into my flesh, as if I was an animal not even worth saving.

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**SURRENDER! CHILD... END YOUR MINDLESS RESISTANCE... THEY HAVE NOT TOLD YOU THE TRUTH! YOUR FATHER WAS A LIAR! HE DID NOT INVENT THE PROCESS... HE STOLE IT FROM US... INSIDE YOUR BODY LIES OUR LEGACT... YOU ASYLANS ARE NOTHING MORE THE HYPER-EVOLVE OMNI-PRODUCING BEINGS. YOU ARE NOT HUMAN...YOU ARE NOT A BEING THAT IS EVEN CLOSE TO IT... YOU ARE A BEAST! HUMANS WILL DESTROY YOU WHEN THEY HAVE THE OPPERTUNITY TO... FOR YOU ARE NOTHING TO THEM... WE, HOWEVER, DO CARE... WE EXIST IN YOUR MIND, IN YOUR SOUL... WE ARE INSIDE YOU... GIVE TO US YOURSELF... SURRENDER! SURRENDER! RAKASHI SUR---**

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"_Open fire!"_

A voice had waken me from my trance like state. There was loud banging and flashing blue light. The light was blinding as it brightened up the darkness I had been in. My body was being held by some web like appendage. It was wrapped around me, holding me in place as I looked down. My chest armor was ripped opened, the parasite impaling my skin there. Something moved my neck as I realized that there was another appendage pierced into my spine. The creature screamed, screeching into my head as it flinched away.

"Agent Raven, status?!"

My breathing was hard as I tried to focus. Tiny thread like things were covering my armor and my helmet, trying to get threw the armor and into me. "God... It's trying to get into my head... Make it stop... Shoot me!" I screamed into the COM as I tried my best to resist. They didn't fire, afraid of hitting me in the crossfire.

"**OPEN YOUR EYES, CHILD... YOU LESSER HUMANOIDS WILL DIE... IT IS ENEVITABLE... ALL SENTIANT BEINGS, ALL COMPLEX LIFE DIES BY THE REAPER, DEATH. THEY WILL DESTROY YOU WHEN THE FINAL DAY COMES..." **The voice was like a hiss as it continued to speak into my head. It wanted me to give in, and allow it to consume me. There was a loud screech as it screamed at the humans that approached. They couldn't possibly understand what it said as it suddenly twitched making my scream in pain. I didn't need to use the COM for everyone to hear me. The tiny thread like webbings twitched in my back as it forced me to feel pain. My hand touched my sidearm and I stared for a moment at it. It was listening to my thoughts and twitched again making me yell in pain as it told me to stop. With a mere voice command, the suit injected me with adrenaline raising my levels to over 200% normal. The pain was gone, my heart rate must have appeared erratic as well as I grabbed my sidearm and pointed it at the creature.

"**NO! DON'T DO THAT! WHAT WILL THAT ACCOMPLISH? THOSE BEINGS CARE NOTHING FOR YOU... YOU SAID YOURSELF THAT THEY THOUGHT YOU AS AN ANIMAL NOT WORTH SAVING!"**

_To them I am an animal not worth saving... but just because they aren't willing to save me... doesn't mean I am not willing to save them."_

My pistol made a loud bang sending a bullet threw the armor that had been absorbed by the parasite. Mass Accelerated weapons had a hard time going threw, but my primitive pistol had not nearly a difficult time. The beast screamed as I unloaded a complete clip into the beast. It moved me away opening it up as my team opened fired with Mass Accelerated Incenerary rounds. Pieces of it burned away in an instant as my team opened fired. It burned quickly, and fell into a burning mess.

Just then, I felt the pain of death...

It wasn't as everyone said.

There was nothing at all, no pain, no heat, no coldness, no movement, no sight, no hearing.

Empty, without a single shred of anything.

I didn't see or feel myself hit the ground.

Only darkness surrounded me.

_Just then, I saw a figure in my mind staring at me with a smile. I couldn't help but smile back at him. I knew exactly who he was, and he looked rather different. Older, and stronger. My eyes after a moment watered as I cried to myself._

_"Don't cry... I know it is hard alone... but don't cry." I couldn't stop even for his pleas. I knew the truth and there was nothing I could tell myself that said I didn't/_

_"You are not real... I don't want to wake up... but I know I will...."_

_RAVEN!_

_"No... I DON'T want to! DON'T WAKE ME! Please! Don't wake me... I don't want to be alone again!"_

My eyes opened as I saw the blurry images of my teammates. My back armor was torn apart, my lower chest armor as well. I laid there, still and unmoving as I heard my XO speaking. "Raven?" My eyes looked away as then my head. nothing revealed my current anger and pain at the moment as I just replied simply back to them.

"...Let me sleep..."

**ONBOARD THE **_**ARES**_

**TWO DAYS AFTER INSIDENT**

The XO let me remain in my personal quarter. The Examiner said that I was having problems from exposure to an untreated trauma. They figured that the only way that I could deal with this was on my own. So, they removed anything I could use as a suicide means and let me stay there. I was curled up on my cot, not really paying attention to anything as I tried to hold myself together. It failed.

My tears wouldn't stop as my memories flashed in my head. Everything from the past I kept barred came rushing back. My anger and rage mixed with my sadness and regret as I tried to keep myself from losing my mind. I just wanted to make myself stop feeling anything, to stop myself from feeling anything at all.

Around my hand was a small chain that I kept hidden. On it was a sort of box that would open up and play music. It was given to me long before any war or anything. Fal'uta made it himself and gave it to me that one sunset that we watched together. With my thumb I would open and close the little box allowing it to play its soothing melody to me.

Then, my heart turned numb along with my body. My hand hesitated as the little musical chain played. I just stared at it for a moment, my eyes weakening as I stared at it. No tears came out, for I cried myself dry. My thumb slowly closed the box as I uttered softly a quote that I knew.

"They say... that when you care about someone, you can feel them suffer.... and.... you can feel when they die..." With a certain click, the box closed completely as I stared at nothing.

"Agent Raven, report to the Command Deck."

I closed my eyes for a moment, knocking away any emotions as I shook my head. I stood up to leave, wiping away any lingering tears. In a cold, calm, mechanically empty voice I replied to my XO's voice.

"Yes sir."

**________________**

II

**System: Scutum-Crux Arm**

**Planet: Ivion**

**Current Location: Helimus**

**Mission: N/a**

INQUIRY… AGENT RAVEN IS LOCATED ON A NON-REGESTURED PLANET. TECH-LEVEL OF INHABIDENCE IS 0.56… NO TECHNOLOGY ABOVE GALATIC STANDARD. GENETIC ENGINEERING ABILITY OF INHABIDENCE IS HIGH BUT ABOLISHED AFTER HELIMUS CIVIL WAR…AND ILLEGAL TO COUNCIL GOVERNMENT. EXPLANATION?

I had nothing to say to the AI inside the chip in my mind. The Planet 'Ivion' was located in an unclaimed region of space of the Galaxy. The Council didn't want it because of the primitive nature of the planet. Imperialistic races didn't want it because it was barely anything important at all. There was nothing there of interest. At least, that was what everyone said.

I, however, know differently. This planet houses something vastly important that no one seemed to know about. My boots left little prints in the sand that seemed to be everywhere.

DESSILET REGION… SOURCE… MULTIBLE BOMB EXPLOSIONS DESTROYED EARTH-ECOSYSTEM AND POSSIBLE RESOURCES. LIFEFORMS EXISTANT, LIFE sustaining organisms destroyed within the earth sample. area is unable to support life.

Of course I already knew this as I walked to what looked to be the remains of a huge city. I wasn't moving fast at all as I walked. The armor I had on hid my demonic marks that were most likely glowing a bright red. In fact, I knew they were from the feeling of something burning all over. My HUB displayed a scan around the area as bio-life forms were apparent in the rubbles of the city which I approached.

The motion tracker activated as well as my vitals. It was as if the AI chip could tell that there might be some combat ahead. The red figures moved quickly away from me. They were hiding from me, but then again I must have appeared very strange to them. Perhaps I even looked like one of the Penance machines.

WARNING! TARGETS ARE MOVING INTO A FLANKING POSITION.

The move wasn't surprising, I would do the very same in a similar situation. After a moment of glancing around the ruined city I spoke in my native tongue.

"I know you are there… Do not try to fight me… I am not here to fight."

"Demon!" My head instantly turned to the sound as my HUB honed in onto the noise. In the rubbles of what looked to be some military building. He must have noticed that I could detect his location and rose slowly to face me. A large rifle was in his hand, an automatic I believe. It wasn't a very advance weapon, and was actually very bulky. Each step the man took was slow and calculated.

"You… you are from the heavens? I have never seen something like you…" The other soldiers remind in their flanking position, prepared to attack if they were called upon.

"I suppose you could say that…You are members of the Resistance… correct."

"…How do you know about that?"

"I listen. Hiskara, fighting back against the tyranny of the Seers..."

"More like fighting what is left of those lying bastards."

A half smiled came on my face as I heard the response of these rebels. At Cerberus, I reconfigured a radio to listen in onto the happenings of my home world. Most of the news was terrible and caused me to hate the Seers even more.

"I thought they were all killed…"

"They were… Neurotoxin… a very nasty neurotoxin… But not all of them were killed… And well… the Empire and Dominion aren't going to stand around when the great Helimus falls into anarchy… Liberators… Haha… that is what they call themselves… Liberating us from existence…"

My half smile instantly turned to a frown as I stared at the commander. A Seer survived my vengeance, if it was one or seven, it didn't matter. Instantly, my hand curled into a fist as I hide any auditory tone to tell that I was angered. "I want to help you stop the Empire and Dominion… All I ask is that the last Seer is destroyed."

"You bare much anger toward the Seers, don't you…" said the man as he stared at me for a long moment. He stared at the faceless helmet as if it would tell him something. He was trying to figure out who or what I was. His face betrayed everything, every emotion, every action, every thought, everything, it was like reading an open book.

"How old are you? Eighteen… Nineteen?"

"That matters not. My identity is not your concern."

"You expect us to believe that you came from heaven and are here to end the war?"

"Yes, I expect you to believe that."

It was ridiculous to say such a thing, but the very conviction that was in my voice said that I wasn't joking. He stared at me for a long moment as my faceless helmet stared back. Then, after a minute he backed down as his troops revealed themselves. He nodded after a moment showing that he trusted me.

AGENT RAVEN, EXPLAINATION? TARGETS WERE ALREADY REMOVED ON IVION. EXPLAINATION ON WHY YOU ARE PRESENT ON THIS PLANET?

_You really wish to know? Sure, Cerberus allowed me to kill the Seers… why? I have no idea. But they didn't allow me time to save my people… or at least who were once my people. Thank to them… I wasn't able to save him…_

EXPLAINATION?

_Why am I still fighting? Explain to me that? I killed my enemy, I have helped Cerberus, I have done whatever they have asked me to do. I have ended the lives of hundreds of enemy leaders, destroyed countless organizations, and defeated every enemy that tried to stand against us, every world that they wanted to be in anarchy or under a certain leader has been done. I have been Cerberus's Angel of Death… my vengeance has been for the most part completed… my purpose now has been to live so that I can return here, and save those I was unable to save._

EXPLAINATION HOLDS VERY LITTLE INSIGHT… YOU SAID 'HIM'… 'HIM' IS SINGULAR… YOU ARE HERE TO SAVE A SINGLE PERSON.

_I guess you are not as dumb as you could have been. I just had a—feeling._

EXPLAIN.

_I felt as if something had died… I'm not sure what it means. When the parasite had attacked me… I felt it die… I felt how death feels. It was empty… there was no pain at all. The nerve endings began to cut out during death so that at the prime of the experience, there is no feeling at all. The impulses begin to die away and unable to trigger reactions from neurotransmitters… I felt it at the prime, where it is most over… I felt it again when thinking about Ful'uta._

YOU ARE CONTRIBUTING THAT EXPERIENCE TO THE FEELING THAT CAME ON YOU WHEN THINKING OF THAT INDIVIDUAL…COINSCIDENCE?

…_Are you transmitting this to Cerberus?_

OF COURSE NOT.

At that moment, I knew that it was lying to me. The implant that was in my head must have been transmitting my status to Cerberus. It must have been transmitting the images that I was seeing, what I was thinking, why else would they have implanted this?

_...Deactivate…_

CONFORMED… DEACTIVATING

A high pitched ringing entered my ears for a moment before slowly fading to nothing as I walked along side the Hiskara rebels. They were very ragged bunch, looking as if they had not rested in days. I could understand why… They were fighting against the Dominion. The Hiskara, Vaish, and Metria fought against the Dominion, the Bhamine for the Dominion. Helimus was beyond fighting for… piles of ruins destroyed between the crossfire of the Empire and Dominion. At least my people were smart enough to realize that they had to think for the greater good, to try and limit the bloodshed.

_How could you limit this blood shed? There was no real way, was there? The Empire wanted to restore order, to end the countless millions that died during all the fighting… The Dominion wanted one thing… Dominance. My people knew that. The Dominion's master didn't care if the controlled several millions or one person, they hungered only for power. Nothing more. The Seer that is alive seeks the same as the Dictator… except the hungered for power over one more thing; the very souls of all, not just the body but the mind, too. I have to stop this blood shed… It is the only thing that I need to see done… all this suffering my people have endured; I must endure, for them. I need to end this… For him, as well, then again… What is the point? I never have found one… All I have is the urge to destroy the bastards the ruined my life, and the life of those I could call brethren… Yet, this guilt I bare… this pain… I will never be rid of it… but I can make up for it._

"So… 'Angel'… any name we can call you?" The man speaking to me was known as Yeli'uta, a former member of the Helimus army, left them after realizing that the Seers were nothing more then charismatic, dogmatic dictators. He had leaded me to the small safety-house that belongs to the Hiskara Resistance. His small force of about ten to twenty members remained on relatively high guard, only casting a bit of gaze at me do to my strange armored appearance. A single eye slot was open as I rested my back on the wall. My photo-sensitive green eye was open as I stared. After a moment I answered his inquiry.

"Raven."

"Still a bird… Do you have wings?"

"I guess you could say that." I glanced up for a moment listening to the distant gunfire, sighing inwardly to myself as I heard explosions.

"Raven… Were you from here? Is that why you are helping us?"

"I left when the Purge was over…"

"Really?! When the Asylans were still around? Shame they are gone… Peace seemed so close… now… tch, I doubt we will ever see it… Part two of the thousand year war…"

"Doesn't have to be that way… We all know the difference between the Empire and the Dominion. We all know what they will do to us."

"You do now, how is that?"

"As I said… I am from here… I left when the Purge was over…"

"How? I never heard of anyone leaving this planet."

"Ivion isn't the only planet with sentient beings…"

"Why the Hiskara Resistance; the Vaishi Resistance is far better in numbers."

I was lucky that my green eye was damaged by the genetic modifications, tears hardly ever came to that eye, so my emotional state was unseen by anyone. I could feel the tears tug at the other side. My hidden red eye began to water as I looked away.

'_I came to see Fal'uta… He created the Hiskara… It was fairly obvious… If you look at the letters…_'

"I have no reason that you would find acceptable. I have seen what the Seer's were capable of, and what the Dominion is capable of as well… I am tired of seeing my people dying in war."

The Resistance building was similar to the former capital city. Ruins, a barely standing safe house that had bullet holes and larger one from rockets or explosives, were the very look of the Hiskara Resistance building. They were in a poor mess… within a few more weeks I bet the entire Resistance would have disbanded.

"So, Raven, that weapon of yours… how powerful is it?"

"I could stop every single one of the machines known as Penance..."

"Are you serious? What about the new soldier breed they have developed?"

"I could handle anything that they throw at me."

The commander of the Hiskara nodded after a moment. He believed every word I was saying merely because of the way in which I had said it. There was no hesitation, no doubt in my voice. I must have been only person in that entire resistance that could speak in such away. They seemed to respect me for that as I showed them the secondary sniper rifle I had. The .50 Cal wasn't going to impress anyone, but my other rifle was made with the finest tech in the entire galaxy. They stared at the small bit of metal questioningly. It was not nearly as bulky as their weapons and it looked far more advance. They stared, glancing at every part of it as I lifted it to fire off. With aloud pop, the Mass driven bullet moved faster, straighter, and farther then any of the Hiskara's guns could ever go up into the sky. Instantly, they clapped, impressed by the show of power.

"Very impressive…" said the commander as he stared at the weapon. "If you could join the Hiskara… we would greatly appreciate it… Sadly, we have very little money to pay you… "

"No money payment is required…I require one thing that may or may not be in your possession, The Omega Serum."

"The… Omega Serum… I know of it… but little otherwise. We don't possess it, but it is most likely in the hands of the Dominion. They stole a lot of the Asylan tech when they swarmed into the country like ravenous beasts, so I am willing to bet they have it."

"Do you talk to the Empire?"

"Seldom, as you can probably guess, they think we are Dominion spies."

"Hmm…Seems we need to show that we are not… get the Hiskara Resistance to be a little more effective… Send a message to the Empire that we will be having a party deep in Dominion Territory… say… the Ishta Fortress on the border closest to the Empire… If they want to watch, they are welcome to do so."

"Ishta?! That is a rather well defended fort… you are-"

"I am quite sure of our target… as I told you; I could defeat the entire Dominion Army."

"That is an ambitious feat… Unless you can guarantee a victory, don't."

"I can guarantee that when I leave this world, the Dominion will no longer be here."

There was a momentary silence to my words as they stared at me, holding their rather primitive weapons. Their eyes stared at me for a long moment before raising their weapons. The commander smiled at me, and bowed his head slightly, as if telling me that I was the leader. He mouthed something to me, forcing me to stare and have to read his lips.

_'Lead them well.'_

The Commander turned as I held my weapon of choice. I never have said long drawn out speeches, never was very good with them. Simple and clean, those were my speeches.

"Lets go… send the Dominion to the pits."

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_Rakashi… Why have you come…? You shouldn't have journeyed here… It isn't safe here. Don't you know that? Can't you hear it?_

_You would have me leave you behind…_

_It would be better… safer for every living being in this galaxy. Sacrifice Ivion for the good of all… You know it is better to do that instead of what you are doing now._

_I couldn't do that… you know that. I couldn't leave them behind… Why? It complicated…? I can't just sit here and watch…_

_I know… despite all of the hatred inside you, all the rage and anger against the world you have, there is something else that is there that is keeping you from submitting to that… a nobler trait… You are searching for something… aren't you?_

_That answer…_

_The answer to why you continue to fight and kill for seemingly no reason… your searching for an answer to why every thing went wrong… why were you tortured… why you have to hide behind a shroud that hides you from everyone and thing. Why you hate people, yet you hate being alone as well… A paradoxical state…_

_I never was good at figuring out why I am the way I am… All this… I could stop killing… I damn I wish I could… I am tired of fighting… But that's what I am… a killer… I have known nothing else… I AM SO DAMN TIRED!_

My eyes opened as a captain nearly touched my shoulder. He saw my one open eye slot that showed my eyes were open. He recoiled back as I stood in a crouched position along with other soldiers. We were standing in the thicket of the woods bordering the open area of the Fort. Four massive cannons were pointed to each direction with a main central structure that stood like a jagged rock high above the rest of the buildings. The structures were made of black-steel and had several groups of the Penance machines standing on the walls in standard patrolling formation.

I gazed at each soldier there, counting each until I noticed a humanoid standing on the wall. It was gazing straight at me. The figure was clad with black armor and red lines that seemed to nearly outline the body. For a long moment my eyes didn't blink as I stared back at the faceless mask that covered the face.

_I hear your voice… Rakashi… You seek an answer to a secret question… Are you coming? Come… I have the answer you seek… come… Find that answer… I could careless who wins this war… just come…_

I didn't know what to think, that voice seemed to enter my thoughts for no reason. It was clear and echoed loudly into my thoughts, resonating as that thing seemed to speak. Slowly, my eyes returned to my second that was looking at me.

"Alright… you are to move in after I have dealt with the Penance machines… if you are to engage it, it must be with someone who as actually defeated these things… I don't want to lose anyone needlessly… Understood?"

"Yes ma'am… We will wait for you and provide sniper fire against any of the Dominion's soldiers."

"Good… I want rocket fire on the gate after they foreground is secured."

"Understood."

With that last bit of orders I moved forward and activated my adrenaline containers of my suit to activate. The effect was near instantaneous as the drug moved throughout my body releasing the adrenaline there. I raised the advanced rifle I had and fired.

The Penance machines walked along the wall top as the strange soldier stood there watching my actions. As my bullets hit the machine it was ripped apart and fell uselessly to the floor. Several machines fell in a similar manner, with crushed in metal around a small hole in it and freed electricity discharging about the hunk of junk.

The Machines turned directly to me, eyes red like that of a demon and then they began to move. Hunter mode… They were no longer on the control of anyone. They were going to kill aggressor targets, that being me, of course. Quickly, they climbed down the wall twisting slightly as they did so showing the boundless flexibility they had.

My rifle shook in my hand from the shear amount of fire that I shot at them, tearing apart the weak metal and forcing them to submission. The gun finally overheated as I pulled it up and away, a small cloud of what seemed to be water appeared around the muzzle. The gears clanged, electricity whizzed as five Penance Machines came toward me. So within a moment, two knives were drawn, made of the finest material that was available to me in the galaxy. They were long, black colored material and serrated edged, as well as a very useful present from

_Cerberus. Five 'undefeatable' monstrosities of the Seers against me… those are very good odds_.

Their tails lashed out toward me, bladed and fast. My green eye shut as my red eye opened up full allowing me one of the most treasured abilities I had. My reaction time jumped as my vision and thoughts focused the ability through my mutation. It was painful for a moment as the eye contracted, however it was over within a moment as the machines seemed to move slower to me. I could only move at the speed that they could, it wasn't as if I was faster then I was. I just could react far more quickly as I saw each action with acuity that gave me precision that was normally lost in combat. The gears were clear in sight as I moved, avoiding the several sharp tails and claws that were coming for me in the slow manner as I move equally. My knives smashed into the gears as I turned stabbing the central support that resembled a spine in the back.

I moved as fast as I could to another striking at the machine with a knife into the wires that ran underneath the steel. With the newer, stronger, harder metal, the blades seemed to break into the weaker steel with ease. Electricity was zapping my knife, however I couldn't feel it do to may armor's protection. Grounded feet and shielding technology nullified any damage that electricity could do. So, within a few more seconds I began attacking a third that had raised its mini-guns. A grin appeared under my helmet as I rushed it.

_That's cheating… you lose…_

The slow bullets came out of the gun at a quick rate. The bullets were slow but the amount of bullets was numerous. However, bullets weren't the thing I was going to try and dodge, the movement of the machine's weaponry was the target. Bullets move still a little to fast for me, but the movements of the machines were slower and easier to predict. I moved to the left, then quickly to the right, under the stream of bullets that were fired. My movements were aimed at removing the weapon and then striking into a fatal spot. The shields flickered slightly as slow, heavy, steel bullets impacted them.

That didn't stop me… nothing like that ever stops me. Quickly, I ducked down swerving to one side before striking out with the knife at the wrist gear that had been the main place the Machine was using to fire the guns it had. Within a moment, I drop my stance again as I dove for the spine of the machine in order to sever it. That task was easily accomplished as I felt the knives cut threw the machine's back side. My rifle appeared from my back after a moment as I smiled. The two machines took a step back seeing a majority of the once unbeatable machines taken down by a single soldier.

"Transmit this to the Dominion… to the last Seer… I am taking what they stole from me." The trigger was pushed back and the bullets from my powerful rifle tore threw each Penance Machine, making it fall to the ground, collapsing against their own metal.

The rest of Hiskara Resistance began phase two of the plan as rockets appeared from where they were taking cover and as Assault teams charged into the field. From the gestures they gave me, I assumed that they were talking of the feat I had just accomplished. I turned sprinting forward and opening both my eyes open now so that everything returned to the normal speed in my perception.

The walls were not high wall, tall enough to keep tanks from running over the wall, and small enough for me to do one little thing. My rifle was sheathed along with the knives as I ran quickly. I ran at the wall and then quickly lifted my feet so that I could move up its sides. The rockets that I ordered on the gate finally broke threw and the Assault team moved in as I climbed up the wall, each step heavier then the last as I used my strength and lacking of weight to reach the top with one despite grip for the edge. My body hit the wall after a moment before I began to lift myself upon it.

A hand seized my shoulders and lifted me up. The one armored soldier that I saw before. Thick armor, with red glowing from what most likely was used to modify the humanoid within and make his stronger. My eye stared at the half-man, half machine before me.

"Rakashi… Master… you came back here… to this world. Long have you been gone and the voices have been clear…" Instantly my face reflected my confusion as my green eye stared at him. I couldn't find the words to say. Whoever this being was, he was obviously crazed now.

"Master?" I asked after a moment.

"Yes… you are one who can silent the voices… You and another can do this and no more…You must be a powerful being… Asylan. We had thought after a long time that you were no more, that the last of the Asylan were dead." I stared at the soldier, his grip around my shoulders didn't release as my hand fingered the knife that I had sheathed.

"Who is the other?" The inquiry was already half known by me. I had a feeling I knew what the other being that could control the soldier was.

"The master which all our strength originated from, the god of our kind, don't tell me you don't know what it is…" said that man as he stared at me a bit longer before laughing and tossing me further down the wall top. The metal scratched the ground as I sled across it. The knife I had fingered came out instantly as I stood up to face the soldier. However, he began to laugh moving about as if he were being possessed. Then, something I hadn't foreseen happened as I heard the Super-soldier stop. An Energy Sword had burned threw the soldier's chest making him gasp before collapsing to the ground. My eyes look intently upon yet another soldier. However, this one didn't seem nearly as insane as he stared at me. The grip around my knife tightened after a moment as he pulled out the Energy Sword and put his fullest attention on me.

"Surrender…" he said after a moment before sheathing the Energy Sword.

"Surrender? Why?" The fight could have easily gone on for days against this fort before it completely fell; yet this soldier, trained by the Dominion, chose not to continue fighting.

"There is no reason for anymore fighting… Rakashi… Your attack came at a rather good time…" said the soldier before allowing the helmet to come up so that his face was visible while the visor was mechanically moved to be positioned over the top of his head. Blood red eyes were staring at me as I lowered my rifle for a moment. Then I heard the explosions made by Aircraft that must have been from the Empire that I had informed of the attack. "…We were dealing with those beings there… Don't you know that normally we never have the Penance Machines on Hunter-killer mode?"

My eyes stared a little longer at the soldier before I replied. "…That man wasn't the only one that went mad here…"

"Exactly… They began to go made a few days ago… they claimed to hear something calling them and… well--- they lost it. A good portion of the Super-soldiers went mad. At first… it was only one or two… but then everything went to hell…"

"…They destroyed a lot of you base's defense."

"Yes… Destroyed Penance Machines… those who didn't go mad were hunted by the insane and---well they were slaughtered. Few of us managed to barricade ourselves but… that didn't really help. The more we dug in, the more they came at us in blind fury… So… in a last ditch effort to save ourselves we set the Penance Machines to hunt down every human…"

"That failed, didn't it?"

"Those beings weren't human… they dead. The Penance Machines couldn't detect their human bodies… far too mutated. The machines turned on us and--- There isn't really anyone alive here. They are all dead."

"Why aren't you mad?"

"Dunno… At first my head ached a lot but hasn't bothered me for a long time now. A few of us were like that."

"Hmm… I'll let you live, only if you show me everything."

"Of course… Not alone though… could be dangerous. I sealed a lot of them maddened dogs in the tunnels below the city. The ones you found up here were a few that didn't pursue us when we fled there for a final stand. Had to move rather quickly so that the Penance Machines didn't shot me…"

"What about you Dominion Oath… You aren't supposed to break that."

"Screw that! The Dominion ordered for this place to be burned upon hearing rumors of the outbreak. Kill _everyone_ in contact of this place." Another barrage of explosions erupted near the interior of the fort. For a moment I conceived of shooting the soldier before me in the back of the head as he walked over to look at the flames that head destroyed a good portion of the city, but I decided not to as I went to the COM.

"Report." A momentary pause was on the radio before it clicked on.

"Situation is mainly contained… Penance Machines work much better in the open, and not well against teams of ten plus… We are handling everything well… would have expected more."

"That's why I am on the COM… apparently… an infection destroyed the defenses here."

"Contagious?"

"No… Genetic-based… only individuals infused with Asylan-based enhancements…"

"Understood… Is there any general area to avoid?"

"Don't go into any dark tunnels."

"Understood, commander… oh… Seems the Empire is taking part in some of the party you setup for them… anything you want us to tell them?"

"Just what I told you. Raven out." The COM clicked off as I looked at the soldier, who was silently watching my actions as if analyzing if I was going to do something hostile. My eye slots opened to show the _heterochromia iridis _that I possessed. He jumped only slightly at the sight of one green eye and one red eye.

"I'm not going to kill you…" I said after a moment. Instantaneously, the man relaxed, releasing a sigh of relief. "…Any other comrades I should know about?"

"No… As I said, Rakashi… they are all dead… Penance killed them, or those monsters ate them."

"Sounds terrible… You over heard my name…"

"Yes, Rakashi Yamoko, the antecedent to the Dominion Genetic-engineered soldiers, I overheard. I'm Reko Atalsh, one of the top soldiers here…"

"One… Is the top soldier dead, or insane?"

"Insane… She was the first. When she went mad, she just began killing everyone… the blood inside the Commander Center is her doing… In fact, most of the blood everywhere is because of her. Beatrix is her name. Beatrix began talking with herself a lot… cursing in some language that I didn't know, began having extreme headaches that would make her unable to shoot straight. Then, one day she asked me to come to her. I did and she began to talk to me, saying I was a liar, a thief. She said that she needed to kill me and take that stolen blood away. I ran instantly as she tried to cut my throat… Wherever Beatrix is I am willing to bet she is killing everyone that moves…" I nodded after a moment before glanced down on the body that was motionless on the ground. I just stared for the longest moment as Reko must have followed my gaze seeing I was staring at the soldier that laid dead. "He was a private in our division… He was the most recent. Same symptoms as before…"

"I think I need to burn the body…" Reko nodded after a moment as he pulled out a grenade that was spiked and had red, glowing lines running along it. For a moment, I stared at the device as he handled it, learning how to use the primitive weapon. His thumb touched the top and pushed against making the spikes come out about and two inches longer as they also began to heat up. He threw it at the corpse and backed away as did I. The body burst into flames and I could have sworn I heard screaming echoing in my head, yet, I tried to keep it out of my mind.

"Do you think," said Reko after a moment, making me tilt my head toward him," it was strange how he didn't try to kill you… instead he just held you and began to rant."

"Yes… but he is dead now, so there comes no answer why he did by pondering something we have no answers or evidence to shed light onto the situation." For a moment there was no movement as I glanced around. Then, there was the sound of a few rifles being lifted up, causing me to turn and look as a few soldiers from the Resistance came forward from having climbed the stairs to the top of the walls.

"Hold fire."

They didn't fire and nervously lowered their rifles, tilting their heads as they stared at me and the former Dominion soldier. They were silent for a moment before speaking.

"Ma'am… the area is for the most part secure… all that is left is the tunnels… Care to explain why a Dominion soldier warrants sparing?"

"He locked a good amount of the infected inside the tunnels."

"You… did?" Reko nodded after a moment as he looked at the Hiskara Resistance. "Thank you… I suppose…"

"They were quiet mad, would be willing to set this entire world on fire if given enough fire and oil."

I was silent for a moment as I stared at the area, feeling slightly robbed from a true victory. However, that truly didn't matter. As long as the Empire thought we captured the fort by ourselves, and then they would begin to treat us like a true ally, rather then some unimportant bandits that had a gun in their hands. Along with that the Dominion would begin to get nervous as well if we could capture a well fortified base, what else could we do? We must have been like a splinter in the hand of the Dominion, not fatal alone, but with the right conditions we could become an infection that could bring the mightiest of things to its knees.

"Alright… I want the Hiskara to remain at the entry points to the fort as well as the entry points to the tunnels… nothing is coming in or out of any place until I clear it out. Reko will assist me." I order giving a glance to the Super-soldier, whom nodded in acceptance of my authority. "Since we are in Bio-suits it should be easier for us to move… just because the infection originates with only Asylan-based enhancements doesn't mean it can't mutate and possibly infect someone else… I don't know why type of infection it is… a pure source or not, I will learn when we come on that… understood."

"Yes, ma'am… what if you are infected?" said on of the Hiskara.

"I can't be infected…" The soldier gave a slightly puzzled look. "It's difficult to explain… But the fact is, I can't be infected… leave it at that." The soldier merely nodded after a moment as the orders went over the COM.

Quietly, I walked down the steps that lead to the ground and on the path toward the center of the fortress. Reko followed, careful not to say anything in earshot. I could tell he wanted to ask me something so after a moment I slowed my steps so that he could get closer so that I didn't need to yell.

"What?"

"Raven, huh… I guess you don't want to tell them you're Asylan… What was with the entire 'can't be infected'…? I would think that Asylans would--"

"You thought wrong… Asylan's can't be infected… Our bodies are too mutated… too… harmoniously mutated… the infection can't imprint itself on our perfect balance."

"The Asylan process is different from the Dominion?"

"Yes… what do you do… just inject it into a subject and hope for the best? The Asylan developed a system to make it flawless… it was mapped onto out on us when we were infants, the enhancement given to us in order to sequence our genetic structures so that it would be perfectly blended… then a stabilizing serum would be injected. I had that done to me, and then some… as I said… it is complicated."

"I see… You don't ever know why either… do you?" My shoulders shrugged to show indifference to the question. I didn't have a proven theory, only a theory that had the basics in it. There was the way I was made on one side of the scale, then the rest of the Asylans, then the Super-soldiers, and infected Super-soldiers. Those were the purity of the cells that we were infused with by rank from whose was the most balanced to those that were least. "Your parents…"

"Huh?"

"The way you are different… your parents were both Asylan… one of a few that survived being born… Turatians wiped out them… except for you."

"How do you know so much about me?"

"I know a certain someone…"

"Fal'uta…"

"You're a fast study. Yes, I have spoken to Fal'uta before… unfortunately it was as a capturer and prisoner. Instead of talking about something remotely important, he talked about a dead girl that he had fond feelings towards. Used that as a way to cope wi---" My gaze turned away as I sped up slightly before hearing him sprint slightly in order to remain next to me. "Was it something I said?"

"…Ignore that…" I said after a moment before raising my gaze to look at his. The visor still wasn't down and I could see the demonic red eyes that had been the reason that the Seers destroyed my people. "…it is nothing…"

"Hm…" was the only reply that Reko gave to my reply. His visor came down and covered his face as he walked along side me we with his sword activated. My rifle was out and set onto semi-auto instead of my normal single shot. The Resistance forces were beginning to join together in small groups, their rifles ready to fight if called upon as I walked to the center. Quickly, Reko took the lead to show were the entry into the Dominion's underground was.

Hiskara Soldiers stared at me as they heard the explosions of Imperial shells hit the fortress. Before them I walked, calmly, not even fazed by the loud bangs from explosions. Then my eyes came upon the thing which Reko had been leading me to, a large rounded shape upon the ground that appeared to be that of a circular entrance. Reko stood at the terminal and pressed upon it as other soldiers remained on guard as the explosions grew louder.

"Soldiers… make sure nothing comes out of here besides us… kill anything else on sight… Make sure no one leaves or enters unless I say so… and see if you can make the Empire stop bombing this place… tell them we have a quarantine situation and that the bombs might unleash toxins into the air…"

"Yes ma'am… We will make sure everything is in one piece."

"Good."

The mammoth-like door slid open revealing nothing on the other side but a narrow tunnel that lead downward. Blue colored lights out lined the top along with the paint that lead the way to different sections of the underground world. There was no sound, no cry, no moan of dying, just a cold, brain-numbing silence that would even give me shivers, and I prefer silence.

I showed no fear as I walked forward, Reko still paused for a moment before following behind me. I couldn't show fear. My hands trembled, and so did my legs, but the suit kept me from showing that. Damn… I was scared.

_Coming… quickly… we are here… we can hear you child… Young master… Rival of the Omnipotent Master... you hear his voice… yet you reject what he says… and at the same time you follow. Kill… destroy… consume with flame… purge the old for our new reign… You follow this code so well… yet… you reject his control… Are you coming to destroy us? Of course you are, that was what you were made to be… Monster… Demon of Death… The Black souled being that would prefer to see the universe cleansed of life._

_You think that…I am not that simple to understand._

_You are nothing… The Master hears you now… you tried to kill it, and it will consume you to make the ultimate race… The greatest one that will be as powerful and omnipotent as he and have your sentience… when this happens… we will become gods among this weak, flimsy, fleshed beings, and live in an ultimate utopia… with all existence made to the Master's mind, we will all be free, liberated from the evils of sentience._

The being speaking was just another mindless servant of the being that I had destroyed a month ago. We, my team and I, destroyed the beast when on a world in the Terminus System. That fight was a harder one, it having stabbed me in the back. I was lucky, if my team hadn't come, then the dream of the Parasite would come true… what exactly that dream was, I am unsure, but I had to make sure that didn't happen.

I walked down the steps as I head the guns of the Hiskara soldiers point into the tunnel, knowing fully well that an enemy could come up from down inside the abyss-like darkness, and foreboding interior. _They must be nervous… Reko seemed to be extremely nervous about entering this place again. I wonder if the enemy is hiding and waiting for us to reach the bottom… _

My flashlight turned on instantly as I reached the last step as I lifted my rifle and glanced about with it. Nothing. There was nothing in our way. They were hiding somewhere further along in order to nullify any help from the outside world. Reko ignited his blade like weapon as he moved to the side to keep any enemy from attacking our flank.

_Implant, reactivate._

AFFERMATIVE… REINITALIZING DATA-SENK…ANALYSISING… ENEMY MOVEMENT DETECTED HUNDRED METERS AHEAD. ESTIMATE TWENTY, UNKNOWN ANY CLASS DIVISIONS… WARNING! ENEMY MOVING TO CURRENT POSITION! ETA, ONE MINUTE. WARNING, ENEMY ALSO FORMING ON FLANKS… CONTINUE WALKING, IN THIRDY SECONDS THE FRONT WILL MEET THE ENEMY, IN THIRDY MORE SECONDS, THE TUNNES WHICH WILL BE AT THE FLANKS AT THAT AREA WILL BE FILLED WITH ENEMY REINFORCEMENTS.

_Hmm…. Smart sons of bitches…_

"Hold position Reko… we are walking into a trap… Take covering positions now… In a minute their will be twenty just in front of us. Understood." In front of us was better then all around us, the Cerberus implant helped immensely with avoiding possible ambush situations.

"Understood." Replied Reko as he lifted his blade out into a defensive stance as I pulled out my two rifles. A .50 cal and regular sniper rifle with higher accuracy and range. Quickly I handed the primitive weapon to Reko.

"Hold." I ordered as I lifted the enhanced Rifle. My eye gazed into the zoomed scope at the enemy that was moving forward, now 50 meters away. The trigger was pressed down and a loud bang came from the rifle as the fast driven bullet collided with an enemy soldier making it collapse to the ground as I aimed again. They were in the same armor as Reko, no different, but a few had what looked to be like raven helmets with a beak like attachment over the nose and a single eye visor, showing the 'natural' eye. I stress natural because those eyes, the eyes staring at us as the enemy moved forward like a menacing force that was similar to that of raging bulls, had the strangest looking eyes. They were a red on the edge but a white or light red near the pupil, which itself was a tiny black dot amongst the strange colors. Their visible skin was paler then a dead being drained of all blood. Living dead was the best that I could describe the sight as.

Another bang sounded as I fired again, causing another beast to drop as they charged forward at us. One last shot fired before the gun overheated again. "Reko, gun." I said quickly handing off the rifle and taking the other rifle before firing it as well. Those bullets were slower but they still were fast enough to take down most. If the enemy dodged, then the one behind it would drop dead. _25 meters…_

Reko raised his energy sword, knowing that there was no way in hell that I would be able to defeat all twenty in the time they reached. Again I fired the .50 cal and watched as blood splattered the ground.

_10 meters…_

The last bullet I was willing to send off collided with another enemy and I dropped the rifle quickly as I pulled out a knife. A bulky rifle wasn't the best weapon to use against an overwhelming number of enemies. Reko's blade hummed as he prepared to fight as I lifted the knives to my side. There wasn't any way I was going to die here; I wouldn't allow that to happen. So, the first lunged forward at Reko, only to be easily severed in half long ways as I moved forward under the Supersoldier's arm. Fourteen enemies remained; I counted as I moved forward, a knife in both hands.

Reko's sword seemed to cut threw the enemy easily as they threw themselves at us. My own blade would find its way into the soft flesh beneath the armor and I would keep my face from showing any emotion as I stabbed into them. It was easy enough to kill. I never enjoyed it however, but it was easy enough. My blade found its way into a soldier's stomach, making him give a groan of pain as the being screamed out.

The screams were not natural, echoing hard in my mind as they fell to the ground. They were not only screaming… but dying slowly even after my strikes. I could hear their silent crying. It was sad to here it, and I knew I was the only one that could hear it. Another yelp gave as I slit the throat of another infected soldier.

_Thank you, Cerberus for the mask… thank you for allowing me to hide what I feel… thank you for giving me the strength to pretend that all of this didn't bother me…_

The bodies fell lifeless to the ground and lay unmoving, yet they seemed to cry out. Lifeless bodies screaming and crying in agony as I pieced another soldier in the throat making him gargle as I pushed him down. Then, a humming sound became loud as I head a sizzle and then a great amount of pain. My eyes went to my side as I saw an energy blade threw it. Reko's blade instantly chopped my attack's head, decapitating it as the soldiers recoiled back as if the use of a weapon other then fists by one of their own was frightening.

_I understand… why they are frightened… they were not thinking, or at least not at the level we were. They didn't conceive of using a weapon. The ignited blade of the one that stabbed me was a mistake, a surprise._

Then, to my horror, they all ignited their blades. Reko tensed up as suddenly I lifted my pistol and fired quickly, sending bullets into the enemy's skulls. They moved forward only for a moment until the realization that only five remained of the team of twenty. Like scared children, they ran, screaming in fear as I stood up, gasping in pain from the injury.

"Raven… Your-"

"…Injured…I know… Don't worry." I began to walk forward taking the energy blade from the fallen opponent and igniting it as I waved it around for a moment. Reko stared at where my injury was. The under suit was build with nano-technology under with a cybernetic exoskeleton over the nano-layer. The suit sealed the wound from the elements as well as began to apply pressure making me gasp for a moment before turning to look at Reko.

"Is…Is that painful?"

"Of course…"

"Shouldn't you take it easy?"

"Why? So I can be a sitting duck when they return?"

"What type of armor is that?"

"Cybernetic exoskeleton with a nano-suit underneath…"

"Is it protective?"

"Protective enough… But nothing really protects against energy blades. Not even yours can defend against that…Correct?" Reko nodded after a moment as I took in another breath, trying to suppress the pain. Quickly, it subsided as I continued to walk forward over the corpses before placing down a tool given to me by my team. A rounded disk that was not very scary looking as I placed it down.

"What is that, Ms. Raven?"

"Just Raven… And you will learn soon enough…" My hand pressed the center of the disk as I heard a loud warning catch my attention.

WARNING! ENEMY MOVING TO FLANK, REAR IS EXPOSED. WARNING: HOSTILE FORCES MASSING, ETA TWO MINUTES.

"Seems we have over stayed our welcome… Run." The order was clear and certain as I even began to sprint. They sounds of screeching was loud, echoing threw the underground as the enemy began to move against us. I knew that they were going to kill us the moment they were in range and all we could do is run.

"Reko… Tell me; is there another way out of here?"

"Yes… roughly half a kilometer down this main path…" I nodded after a moment as I ran faster. The injury I had received no longer hurt as I ran. The nano-suit was pumping in painkillers as well as keeping my bleeding low.

My eyes stared forward until noticing that there was a dead end. The passage lead to a larger underground area that was hollowed out and looked like it could contain transports or other vehicles and at least a few thousand of soldiers.

"This was the staging area for the eventual invasion of the Empire… come on." Explained Reko after a moment before closing the door behind us. The sound of pounding soon followed as we moved downward to the ground level of the facility. A few vehicles were there and even fewer looked operable. The bodies of Dominion Soldiers were on the ground in pools of blood. Screeching echoed loudly as we moved toward an area that housed what looked to be tank-jeep like thing. It was undamaged but still appeared slow. My eyes glanced away to a terminal that was Asylan made. I stared for a long moment before walking toward it. Reko was about to say something as he reached out to stop me.

"Reko… give me cover…" There was an explosion that erupted from where we were. The disk was an invention made by my commander, Midnight, and made in mass by our demolitions expert. It was a relatively powerful device, the heat of which could vaporize most organic life within a hundred meters. Of course I didn't have enough explosives to destroy the entire underground, merely enough to selectively demolish areas. "… If you can… get the radio on that vehicle to work as well… tell the Hiskara to fall back… that this place is going to go up in flames."

"Right… Give me a moment… what the hell are you doing?"

I took off my helmet as I stood by the terminal, my fingers searching it as I looked. This place was once an Asylan Fortress, now, it was a Dominion. However, that didn't mean they altered the technology here. Asylan Technology was much farther along then most races on Ixion. It would be effective to continue using that technology. Since, supposedly, no Asylan was alive there was no worry of the Asylan tech being used against the Dominion.

A grin came on my face as I found the interface for my implant. I pulled out the link and held it for a moment. It was spike-like, a cord attached to a narrow shaft. I bushed my hand against my short hair to show the implant in my head. It was going to be painful, but it had to be done. The interface activated after a moment as I pushed the small shaft into the implant in my mind. A sudden gasp left my throat as I fell to the ground, my body tensing up as the interface began to transmit information between my mind and its storage.

_THIS MAINFRAME IS DESIGNED FROM THE ASYLAN COUNCIL… IDENTIFICATION VERIFICATION… IDENTIFICATION 2116-75-4122_… _IDENTITY CONFORMED… ACCESS LEVEL LOW… LOCATE… ******…CODE CHANGE… "CERBERUS" CONFIRMED… ********… PASSWORD VALID… ALTERING CURRENT ACCESS LEVEL… UNIT 2116-75-4122 NEW ACCESS LEVEL AT TOP. INQUIRY, CURRENT ORDERS FROM ASYLAN LEADER?_

_I require that all Asylan equipment are turned offline until I come to reactivate them. Current situation is Alert Level 1… security of Asylan Technology has been compromised. This facility has been compromised. Specimen 0000-00-0001 has been stolen._

_UNDERSTOOD… COMMANDS COMFORMED… INQUIRY, OTHER ORDERS?_

_This facility must be destroyed, is Asylan generator online._

_AFFIRMATIVE._

_Charge an overload of the energy core. Destruction of infective substance must be done… the specimen stated previous is attempting escape._

_UNACCEPTIBLE. ESCAPE OF SPECIMEN 0000-00-0001 WOULD RESULT IN IMMEDIATE DISTRUCTION OF IXION IN ORDER TO QUARNTEEN OUTBREAK. AERAN KNEW THIS… ASYLAN KNOW THIS. DIRECTIVE UNDERSTOOD?_

_Understood. Containment at all cost. Activate facility self-destruct._

_COMMAND CONFIRMED. TIME?_

_Until non-infected evacuate._

_SCANNING… NO NON-INFECTED WITHIN LOWER COMPOUND… SCANNING LOCALIZED AREA ABOVE… NON-INFECTED CONFORMED. ORDER CONFORMED. INQUIRY, OTHER ORDERS?_

_None… release current interfaced unit._

_COMMAND CONFORMED…_

Within a moment, I felt the humming in my head stop as I pulled out the interface. It was rather painful in my head, but quickly the Cerberus implants acted up and dampened the pain as I looked over to Reko who was still trying to get the radio to work. It only took a fraction of a second to issue all the order necessary, but I did need a minute as I vomited from the aching in my head. The ordering was efficient but I was only an organic; we aren't built to communicate or process information in nanoseconds. I crawled over toward the vehicle and weakly climbed up as my head continued to spin.

"…We… go… get moving… with vehicle… I'll work… radio…"

"Alright… I got it to work… but I didn't know what signal… it might not work in this area either."

"I know… I'll do it… drive." I forced myself into the passenger side as I felt the effects of the drugs that my various implants and suit was pumping into me to make me able to focus. The helmet came down as it began to help process the area easier for me so that my head could relax slightly as I tried to find the proper frequency. The vehicle jumped forward as Reko began to drive by flooring the petal. Instantly, I was flattened against the seat as I gave a slightly groan from the pain that I had found intensified as he drove, taking quick turns to get moving. I entered in the frequency and it came alive after a moment.

"Fall back…" commanded Raven over the radio as Reko continued to drive as fast as he could. "…This place is overwhelmed with hostiles… get out of the fortress… confirm order." I must have repeated that at least ten times before I heard the radio pick up a slight sound.

"Roger," Said the voice of my XO over the radio, "We shall converge on point 3-11-2… Confirmed?"

"Confirmed…" I replied after a moment before shaking my head, trying desperately to focus before sitting up slightly to go to the gunner seat that was in the back. Then, a loud explosion erupted as I heard the monster-like humanoids breaking threw multiple doors that lead to the main cavern. "…Reko… Floor it."

The vehicle moved suddenly faster as I was in the gunner seat, turning the gun turret to stare at the rising amounts of monsters that began to charge along the path behind. My fingers curled around the trigger before squeezing it shut which instantly had the sounds of bullet fire erupt from the muzzle. The infected Dominion soldiers dropped like rocks as the bullets ripped their ways into the fragile flesh of the enemy, continuing to drop the foes as if they were nothing. My helmet slid back to reveal my face again as I opened both my eyes. Quickly, everything slowed to a higher reaction time. Things were moving slowly as I moved the turret to fire away at the enemy, able to quickly think in a slower atmosphere where my actions could be easily and quickly calculated. The headache was beginning to subside as I felt my own adrenaline begin to kick in as I watched the blood of enemies hit the ground in a slow manner as well as clouds of blood appear in the air do to the shear speed and force of the turret's bullets. My eyes were in narrow slits as I continued to fire my weapon.

One of the monsters leaped onto the side of the vehicle. The monstrous Dominion Soldier was holding on the side of the vehicle and screamed into Reko's face. His eyes glanced over to the beast nervously as it growled at him. Within a moment I undid my holster and the pistol discharged into the strange eyed being. A small bump made me turn around back to the enemy that still was massing against us from behind. They were running quickly but still not fast enough to catch vehicle as it seemingly hummed as it moved.

"…uh… Ma'am…" I turned my head again to see some sort of mech-like machine standing between us and the way. However, quickly I saw that it was a creature that was bio-mechanical. Within the machine was an artificial being that was created by the Dominion. The turret turned around toward the machine that was before us and I opened fired. It didn't seem to flinch as it fired its own bullets. The sound made me duck slightly as I heard them roar pass and hit out escaping metal. The bio material was visible to me threw the tubing that connected the different 'joints' of the machine. The machine gun continued to fire as I as I aimed for the tubes.

Juice-like substance seemed to squirt from the small holes the bullets made making the machine seemingly show injury by bending the area a slight amount. The vehicle when under the legs of the mech as I glanced up at it as it passed. The machine turned toward us and gave chase, still firing missiles and bullets. I felt a sudden pain shear threw my leg but I ignored it as bullet holes rattled the car.

"A few more meters and we will be out of here… this was going to be out secret way to deploy our army against the Empire…"

"You've been busy…" I said quickly as I continued to fire, feeling bullets hit my chest armor. Unlike leg armor, my chest was protected rather well as I lifted my Pistol. "Keep this speed… for a few more seconds and then slow down…"

"As you command." Instantly, I lifted my knife as well when I released the machine gun. I jumped off the back of the transport and landed on the front of the mech. My pistol fired clean threw the metal do to the advanced technology that could propel tiny bits of sand into deadly bullets. I had modified the pistol. With that same speed, but propelling larger bullets. The metal bent inward and exploded outward from the back as I unleashed a full clip into the chest and then in the hole I stuffed the explosive I had used earlier. I heard the breaks of the transport being applied and quickly I released the chest and feel backwards to what looked to be the bare ground. However, as the car ahead braked it came backwards and was situated under me as I fell. A loud bang echoed in my ears as I sat up taking my seat again in the gunner seat. The explosive exploded loudly engulfing the mech in flames for a moment before fading away as we moved threw the smoke below.

"…How much longer…"

"…" I didn't reply to him as I head the sound of the infected continue to move toward us. Instead I kept firing ignoring his question. However, the answer came rather quickly as I heard the sound of another explosion, resonating deep within the underground complex. The car came to a stop as Reko jumped out and began to run to a set of blast doors. The terminal had been slashed and was inoperable.

"Dammit…" uttered Reko as he stared at the terminal. "…Beatrix did this… We-"

I ignored his pessimism as I stood by the door slamming the special explosive there. The explosions were getting loud, serving to hasten my actions as I ran back behind the car. Reko followed and took position behind me; gun pointed at my rear to make sure no enemies came. Quickly, the explosive activated as I held the detonator. The doors were merely melted sheets of metal that were bent outward. A few pops grabbed my attention for a moment as I ran forward toward the door, firing off blind shots behind me at the advancing adversary. The sound suddenly became deafeningly loud as I ran into a dead sprint as did Reko.

The outside was clear with the sounds of animals running as well. The trees came into view as I took cover in a ditch within the tree line. The next few moments were pounded into my head by the sounds of flames reaching upward and the shaking of earth as a huge amount of energy discharged into the area.

My body tensed up as the sounds of screaming echoed in my mind. It was their screaming again. The infected minds of the Dominion Super-soldiers were all screaming out in agony as they felt the pain of being burned alive. I could feel their dying pain. Reko put his hand on my shoulder as I seemed like I was going to pass out or seizure up.

"Rakashi… Y-you can hear it…. Can't you… Try to focus…Rakashi."

My chest began to hurt as I tried to resist collapsing. Suddenly the breath left my long as I felt my body go numb, yet remain rigid. Suddenly, I felt a fist slam against my back between my shoulder blades making my body seemingly released itself from being stiffened. My back was in pain instantly as I lay on the ground with pain finding itself along my entire length of spine. My nano-armor couldn't even protect me from a blow of a super-soldier.

"I'm sorry… It will hurt for a while bu-"

"Don't apologize…" I said as I tried to sit back up finding that the paralysis I had now was passed. The pain between my shoulder blades began to subside rather quickly as I glanced toward the fortress that was now burnt and demolished. For a moment, the pain of those beasts's death was still causing my mind agony.

"It must be far more painful for you… I can hear them too… but I have never been put into such a debilitating state, at first, maybe, but never as bad as you were just now."

"I know… But I am much more… altered then you are." After a moment I stood up, finding the strength to do so as I saw the burnt corpses of the infected enemy. My eyes glanced up as I heard the movement of other vehicles. My eyes widened as I heard the hover craft land in the field ahead of us. A man was looking at us with a smile half-way on his face.

"Ms. Raven, I presume." He said after a moment. There were three other soldiers next to him wearing armor that I knew from years of study when I ran from them.

"Sakasvik…" I cussed after a moment after seeing them. They stared for a moment, knowing exactly what I said.

"Now, ma'am… that is just unfriendly… You wanted to be our friends and then you go and say that."

"You're half the reason we are in this mess." I spat at him as his soldier came forward.

"Yes… true enough… we are the ones that help put the world in this state… thought the Dominion could be trusted… instead, fsh… stab us in the back after the Asylan were wiped out…"

"…Will you allow us to assist you?" inquired Reko. The Imperial captain nodded after a moment as he looked at the destroyed enemy fort.

"You have been very helpful… I am sure that the Hiskara and the Imperial Order can work together to defeat our common enemy… you know what they say." The soldiers 'insisted' we came by pointing their weapons at us as we moved forward. My helmet was still up allowing the Imperial soldiers to see who I was. The Imperial Commander stared at my face for a moment before showing his memory of me by grabbing my throat and tilting it so that he could see the vital spots there. The tattooed marks of the Seer's glowed red as he looked at them in the nighttime air.

"Rakashi Yamoki… Welcome back to Ixion."


End file.
